Magical Birthdays
by theshadowcat
Summary: It's April, and both Abe and Maggie are turning another year older. The seventh story in the 'Magic' series. Rated M for certain situations and language. Please R&R. COMPLETE!
1. Early Wake Up Call

**Disclaimer**: Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro, Dark Horse Comics and probably a whole bunch of other people own the rights to Hellboy and Company, not me. Don't sue me, I have no money.

RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGG

What the…? Grumbling, I grab the pillow out from under Wizard and cover my head with it.

RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGG

I feel Wizard walk onto me and sit his rather considerable weight onto the small of my back. Then he starts to slowly extend his claws into me.

RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGG

After throwing the pillow back onto the other side of the bed, I start groping around on the nightstand for the phone. Luckily for my hide, Wizard follows his pillow. I manage to find the phone just as it starts to ring again. I grab it and bring the handset to my head, knocking the base to the floor in the process.

"Mmph?" I'm sure on some alien world that might have actually been a 'hello.'

"Miss Cavendish? It's Dr. Manning," says the voice at the other end of the line.

"He's not here," I mumble.

I try and hang up the phone. Oh, yeah. I knocked the base to the floor. Bother. I can hear Manning talking about knowing where Abe is and something about a case to the nightstand. I pick the phone back up. I manage to crack an eye open and look at the clock.

"Dr. Manning, what could possible be so important that you needed to wake me up at two something in the morning!?" I growl.

"We have a case that requires your talents, Miss Cavendish," he answers.

"And you would know this because…?" I snarl.

"Mr. Chavez has suggested that you be brought in on this case," he replies. I'll get Uncle for this. "We will be arriving for you in about half an hour. Please be packed and ready to go."

"What breath taking location are we going to this time?" I ask almost civilly. "So I know what to pack."

"Australia," he answers. "We'll see you shortly."

He hangs up and I drop the phone on the floor. I snuggle back into my pillow and try to get a few more minutes sleep. My eyes pop open of their own accord. Australia? Did he just say Australia!?

I all but kill myself trying to get out of bed. When I finally do get myself disentangled from the covers, I step on the dropped phone that's now making a funny beeping sound and nearly twist my ankle.

"Ow," I hiss as I quickly limp downstairs.

I head for my office and turn on the light on the desk. I stand there and blink for a minute while my pupils adjust to the light. I go over to the corner and pull up the rug. I place my hand on the safe that's built into the floor and unlock it.

I scrounge around in the papers and finally find what I'm looking for: my passport. I shut and lock the safe as I open my passport and check the expiration date. Blast. It expired over a year ago. Lovely. Now how do I explain this to Manning?

I get up and drag myself back upstairs. Turning on the overhead light, I head back toward the bed. I ignore Wizard's accusing stare as I pick the phone up and put it and its base back on the night stand.

I'm not sure if I should pack or not. Without a passport, I won't be allowed to leave the country. What the hey? Let's have an exercise in futility. I go and pack. Then I change into something other than a ratty pair of sweats and a t-shirt. By the time I'm done, I could almost pass as human. Now if I could just stop feeling like the walking dead. I even manage to email Helen about feeding Wizard while I'm gone.

As I turn off the computer, the buzzer to the gate goes off. I open the gate without bothering to ask who it is. I drag my coat on, grab my bag and then head out the door. I get to the bottom step as a black sedan pulls up. Manning steps out and I hand him my passport.

"It's expired," is all the explanation I give.

"So?" he replies. He hands back the passport without even looking at it. "You don't seriously think we have passports for those two do you?"

I stand there holding my passport in my hand and just stare at Manning. I hate it when my brain refuses to work.

"Get in," he says. "We'll have the briefing on the airplane."

I slide into the back seat as Manning holds the door open for me. I contemplate lying down and taking a nap until I realize that I'm not alone back here.

"Hi," greets John.

"Hi," I manage to respond.

"Here, I thought you could use this," he says as he hands me a large travel mug.

I check the contents. It's coffee.

"You should be knighted," I say as I take my first sip of caffeinated heaven.

"You have to be an English subject to be knighted," he chuckles.

"I don't care," I reply. "You deserve a medal or something."

"Thanks," he says smiling.

I drink my coffee in blissful silence the rest of the way to the airport. When we get there, we go through the same routine as we did the last time I went on a mission with them. This time I don't wait to see Abe and Hellboy get out of the truck. I don't think I could stand that long, so I head up the ramp and have a seat in the cargo area. I glare at the two crates marked 'Live Cargo.' I hate the thought of them being stuffed into those things again.

A short time later, Hellboy and Abe join me. Abe sits next to me and wraps his arm around me. I gladly just lean into him. I lean my head onto his respirator and listen to it oxygenate the water and then pump that water over his gills. It's very soothing to listen to, and I start to drift back to sleep.

"Wake up, love," Abe whispers. "Manning is coming."

"Let him get his own pillow," I mutter.

Abe pushes me back into an upright position as Manning walks in. As the plane starts to taxi down the runway, Manning starts the meeting.

"We have a female entity raping men in Alice Springs. Every one of the victims described an incredibly beautiful woman," Manning starts. "She kidnaps her victims, assaults them and then releases them."

"How do we know it's not just some nymphomaniac that's doing this?" ask Hellboy.

"First off, she has claw-like fingers and toes," Manning responds. "During the assault, she partially turns into an animal."

"Well, that's different," Hellboy states. "Any thoughts, Blue?"

"I'm afraid that my knowledge of Australian mythology is sketchy at best," Abe replies. "I believe that we will be meeting someone who knows the local legends when we get there."

"Ok, other than violating these men's basic human rights, what harm is she doing?" I ask.

I can't believe I just managed a coherent thought at this hour of the morning.

"It seems these men are unable to, uh, perform after they're released," Manning answers.

So much for acting smart.

"Perform?" I ask.

"They can't, um, you know, uh, do _it_," he replies.

I continue to stare at him blankly.

"You mean they can't have sex?" asks Hellboy.

Ok, sleep deprivation and my brain just don't mix. I should have seen that one coming a mile away.

"Yes," Manning responds.

I could swear the man was blushing. But then again, it could my poor sleep starved brain playing tricks on me.

"Dr. Manning, is this meeting over?" I inquire.

"You don't have any thoughts on what it could be?" he asks.

"Right now, I don't have any thoughts at all except when do I get to sleep?" I respond.

"Very well then," he says. "We'll continue this meeting later then."

At this point, the plane has reached cruising altitude, so I get up and head for the front of the plane and the cots that are bolted to the wall. I crawl into one and promptly fall asleep.


	2. Happy Birthday

"When is she going to get up?" I hear HB growl.

"Leave her alone," answers Abe quietly. "She's very tired."

"Why's she so tired?" HB asks grumpily.

"I'm not entirely sure," Abe responds. "Her mind was jumble of different thoughts last night. I think it had something to do with one of the horses at the ranch though."

"If you two are going to talk about me, could you please do it out of ear shot?" I grumble.

"I'm sorry, love," says Abe. "We didn't mean to wake you."

"Says you," HB mutters.

"I heard that," I growl back at him.

I let out a yawn and stretch, twisting around on the cot so I'm now lying on my back. At lease I managed to stay in it this time. I stare at the ceiling trying to get the energy up to move myself into a sitting position. Abe comes over and looks down at me.

"You didn't wake me," I tell him. "My traitorous stomach did."

A rumbling sound is heard from my belly just to prove the point. Abe helps me sit up and then sits on the cot next to me.

"Manning wants to resume the meeting soon," he tells me.

Various unpleasant things run through my head, all of them very rude. Abe chuckles.

"That's not very nice," he says.

"And dragging me out of my nice warm bed to take me half way around the world to do heaven knows what is?" I snarl.

"You always this pleasant to be around when you get up?" asks HB.

"And I bet you're just a big cuddly teddy bear when you haven't had enough sleep," I counter.

"Red, would you please go get her a cup of coffee?" Abe interrupts.

"What do I look like? A waiter?" HB snarls.

"Please," Abe responds.

"Fine," HB growls as he storms off.

"Thanks," I say. "Things were probably going to get very unpleasant."

"I know," he replies.

He reaches behind his back and pulls something out. He hands me a square envelope with my name on it.

"What's this?" I ask.

"Open it and find out," he answers, smiling.

I look at him funny and then slide my finger under the flap of the envelope. I break the glue sealing the flap down and manage to give myself a paper cut. Giving out a hiss of pain, I quickly suck on the cut. Not enough sleep, an argument with HB and now a paper cut, could this day get any worse?

I pull the card out of the envelope. Obviously it can. It's a birthday card. I totally forgot it was my own birthday. I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry. Instead I read the card. It's a very sweet card from Abe.

"Thank you," I finally manage to say as I lean against him.

"You're welcome," he replies. He puts his arm around me. "Why are you so tired?"

"About a month ago the ranch got a mare that was badly neglected," I answer. "She had sores all over her body and was badly underfed and malnourished. If that wasn't bad enough, she was pregnant, too. We've spent the last month trying to get her healthy again so that she could actually survive the birth. Four days ago she started showing signs of going into labor. So the last few nights, I've been on baby watch. Last night she finally dropped the foal. I got to bed shortly after midnight."

I let out another huge yawn and I stretch again. When I open my eyes again, HB is standing in front of me with my coffee.

"Thank you," I say as I take the cup from him.

"Welcome," he replies. "Was it a boy or girl?"

"Huh? Oh, it was a colt," I answer.

Manning walks in with a case folder in his hand followed by John and a few other agents. He hands the file to me and I read it while I drink my coffee. There's not much in the way of new information in the folder other than the attacks all seemed to have occurred at just after sunset. I read the statements of the three victims. They were all on the outskirts of town just out for a walk when the attack came. Something just doesn't sit right with me, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

"Where, exactly, is Alice Springs?" I ask.

"It's almost in the dead center of Australia in the Outback," he answers. "The closest big city is about a two hour drive."

"So what were these men all doing out in the desert?" I wonder.

"They say that they were just out for a stroll when they were attacked," replies Manning. "There doesn't seem to be any set pattern to the attacks either. The first two happened over a month ago within a few days of each other and the last one happened about a week ago. So what are your thoughts?"

"I'm still not sure what I can do," I tell him. "But if Uncle thought I should go along for the ride, then I'm sure he had good reason. What about this specialist that we're supposed to meet?"

"Dr. Mark Taylor is a specialist in Australian folklore from the University of Sydney," Manning answers. "He'll be meeting us in Alice Springs. He doesn't have clearance to know about Abe or Hellboy, so I would appreciate you not mentioning them to him."

I nod my agreement as I finish my coffee. I check my watch. It's almost noon back home.

"Dr. Manning, I hate to interrupt the meeting again, but I haven't eaten since last night and I'm quite hungry," I say. "Is there something I could get to eat?"

"Agent Myers, please show Miss Cavendish where the galley is," Manning says to John.

A short time later, I'm finally quieting my stomach with food. As I chew, I keep thinking about the case. Why were these men out in the desert? It doesn't make any sense to me.

I finally give up trying to figure it out and go find my bag. I was at least coherent enough to throw a book into my bag before I left. I pull my book out and head back to the cot. On my way, I notice Abe in a small tank. He's playing with a Rubik's cube.

"Isn't it cramped in there?" I ask him.

"Yes, but at least I'm wet," he answers.

I place my hand on the glass and he mirrors my action.

"Thank you for remembering my birthday," I say.

"I had hoped to have a special dinner made for you," he says. "I guess the monsters of the world had a different idea."

"A dinner would have been nice," I tell him. "But as long as I'm with you, I really don't care what we do."

He suddenly pushes himself out of the tank far enough for our lips to touch. I relish his wet lips on mine, even if he is dripping all over me. I reach up and gently stroke his moist cheek. We finally part and I look into his beautiful eyes. I start getting lost in his eyes again when Manning walks by.

"Abe, please get back in your tank," he says. "You're getting water all over the floor."

Several more rude thoughts pass through my mind as I grab a near by towel and start wiping up the water. Abe resubmerges.

"Be nice," he admonishes.

I stick my tongue out at him and retreat back to my cot before he can perform any of the images he sends me that he'd like to do with said tongue. I curl up with my book, but before I can get more than a few pages, I feel my eyelids start to droop. I guess I'm still tired. I put my book down and go back to sleep.


	3. Arrival

I've now been on this plane for over twenty hours now, and I'm getting pretty sick of it. After taking a three hour nap and finishing my book, I went looking for something to do. I came across Hellboy, John and a few other agents, playing cards.

I've now learned how to play poker, something my grandmother would be horrified to know. I'm actually getting pretty good at it against Hellboy. A couple of the agents have figured out to follow my lead, though I don't think they've figured out how to play against HB.

I know HB is bluffing, so I call his bluff. Sure enough, he's holding squat.

"Ok, that does it," he growls. "How do you know what I'm holding in my hand?"

"I don't," I answer as I gather up the cards.

"Bull," he snarls. "You always seem to know what I've got in my hand. Now spill. How do you know?"

"I have no clue to what cards you have in your hand," I tell him. I start to shuffle. "But you might try not letting your eyes glow so much when you've got a good hand."

There's dead silence for about one second before John and the other agents start laughing. Hellboy sits there with a stunned look on his face. I have a feeling he was totally unaware that he was doing that.

Before HB can recover, Manning walks in with Abe behind him. The human agents quickly try to recover their composure. Manning scowls at us.

"We're going to be landing soon," Manning tells us. "I want everything ready to go when we get there."

The agents go off to their various assignments; some of them are still snickering. Hellboy sits there and glowers. Abe settles down next to me, and puts an arm around me. Manning remains standing.

"Miss Cavendish, I have informed Dr. Taylor that you're a special agent assigned to this case," he starts. "I want you to work with him in trying to figure out what this creature is, what it is after and how to stop it."

"Very well," I reply.

Manning walks off to see to some other details, leaving me with Hellboy and Abe. I nestle into Abe and stare at the crates. I would like nothing better than to just shatter them.

"And what would that accomplish?" Abe asks me.

"It'd make me feel better," I answer.

Hellboy looks at us quizzically.

"Destroying the crates will only get Manning mad at you again," he points out.

"I know," I reply. "That's one of the very few reasons I haven't done it. Yet."

A while later, the plane touches down and finally taxis to a stop. I watch as Abe and HB fold themselves into their crates. Liz was right. It doesn't get any easier to watch.

The back of the plane opens and I'm the first one out with my bag slung over my shoulder. I don't want to be in the way when they move the crates. Manning follows me and as we step onto the tarmac, a man walks up to us.

"G'day, I'm Rory Copus, I represent the Australian government," he says as he extends his hand to Manning.

"I'm Dr. Tom Manning," says Manning as he shakes Copus's hand. "This is Agent Cavendish. She'll be working with Dr. Taylor to try and figure out this problem."

We shake hands. A flat bed truck backs up to the ramp. A short time later the crates are loaded on and strapped down.

"Is that the special cargo I was told about?" he asks.

"It is," Manning answers.

"We've made special arrangements for you at a secure compound," he says. "Dr. Taylor is waiting for you there."

"Thank you," Manning replies.

Copus leads us over to the open sided 4X4s that are parked off to the side waiting to transport us to this compound. I take a good look around as we wait for the agents to finish getting everything secured.

The sun is still a couple of hours from setting and there's almost nothing around us but a desert that's only sparsely populated by some sort of low lying brush. The air is very dry and warm. The scenery has a stark beauty to it that is quite breath taking.

Within an hour, we're at the secured compound that Copus told us about. Shortly after we arrive, Copus, Manning, the other agents, and I are in a meeting room with Dr. Taylor. He's a strikingly handsome, powerfully built man who has an easy air about him. Hellboy and Abe are in the next room watching and listening. I glance at the mirror that they're behind, and then do my best to ignore it.

"G'day, mates," says Taylor. "I've done a bit of research and seems what you've got yourself here is a baginis."

"I've never heard of a baggingis," says Manning. "Would you mind explaining exactly what that is?"

"Sure thing, mate," Taylor answers. "A baginis is half animal and half human. They are always female. Despite considerable beauty, they have claw-like fingers and toes. The baginis are known to capture men, but seldom kill them, usually letting them go after they rape them."

"What type of animal?" I ask.

"Don't rightly know," he replies throwing me a dazzling smile. I've seen sharks with fewer teeth. "No one can seem to agree on what exactly the animal half is. Some say she looks like a dog, some say a cat."

"So, how do we get rid of it?" asks Manning.

"If you can get close enough, a beheading is usually sufficient," he answers.

"So how do we get close to her?" I ask.

"Now there's the trick, isn't it?" he answers with another smile. "She's only attracted to men and if a sheila's about, she'll not bother."

"Then we'll have to use bait," Manning says. "We'll send an agent out to try and bring this thing out."

"Dr. Manning, I'm not sure that's wise," I comment. "All of the victims were alone. If the agent we send out is being shadowed, chances are the baginis will not show up. Mr. Copus, am I correct in assuming that your government has already try to capture this creature?"

"We have," he answers. "But we haven't had any luck."

"How were you trying to catch her?" I ask.

"We sent men out into the general area that the abductions occurred," he replies.

"Were these men armed?" I inquire.

"Of course," he says.

"Then it stands to reason that you're not catching her is due to these men being armed," I say. "Chances are that she has some animal attributes. If she can tell the difference between a man and a woman in the dark, then she can probably tell if the person is armed as well. Dr. Manning, if you send an agent out there, he'll have to go alone and unarmed."

"Then he'll just have to wear a locater," he replies. "We'll establish a perimeter about one mile out. Now, the victims all said that they were taken to a different location for the assault. That being the case, the instant the agent starts to move beyond the control area that will be our signal to move in."

"Dr. Manning, …" I'm not sure how to ask the next question without revealing who's in the next room.

_Manning intends for us to be out in the desert stationed near the bait,_ Abe thinks at me.

"…how do we determine who gets to be the bait?" I ask trying to cover the pause.

"We'll draw lots," Manning answers.

The next half hour is spent finalizing the plans and getting ready to move out. By the time we get to the vehicles, the flat bed truck with the crates is already gone. The 4X4s are spread out parked in the desert just as the sun is setting. The agent starts walking out with nothing more than a transmitter on his belt for protection. Now we sit and wait in the gathering darkness.


	4. Baginis

**Author's note**: Due to the graphic nature of some of the content of this chapter, this story is now rated as an R. Please do not read if you're under the age of 17.

I sit and watch another beautiful sunset over the Australian Outback. This is our third night on stake out and the perimeter has now been moved out to a two mile radius. John got drawn for tonight's bait duty.

I have dubious pleasure of being stationed with Dr. Taylor tonight. Over the past couple of days he's been very charming toward me. However, there's something about him that doesn't sit right with me. I'm not sure what it is, but it puts my teeth on edge every time I'm near him. Since Abe needs to be in the same room to read thoughts, all he can say is that Taylor is attracted to me. Not that I'm not flattered, but the man gives me the creeps.

Taylor has been prattling on about how wonderful he is ever since we parked. I pray the baginis appears tonight. I don't think I can last half the night listening to this man go on.

"So tell me, Meg, what do you like to do for fun?" he asks.

"My name is Margaret," I tell him. "I would prefer if you just called me Agent Cavendish."

"Oh, come one now," he says as he gives another one of those smiles. "Don't be stick in the mud. We're going to be out here for a while, so why don't we get to know each other."

"Dr. Taylor, we're supposed to be doing a job," I remind him. "That job does not include playing twenty questions."

"So, you wear that to fend off would be suitors?" he asks.

"Wear what?" I respond.

"Your ring," he replies pointing to my left hand.

"It's my engagement ring," I answer.

"So, what do you think your fiancé would say if he knew you were alone out in the desert with another man?" he asks as he rests his hand on my headrest.

_And what would you say if I told you that I'm engaged to a merman?_ I think to myself.

"Nothing," I finally reply. "He trusts me."

"So, has he gotten to sample your wares yet?" he asks as he rests his other hand on my knee.

I push his hand off of my knee and knock his hand off of my head rest.

"Dr. Taylor, please stay on your side of the car," I order.

"My, my, my, aren't we the little ice princess," he sneers. "Maybe I should do your fiancé a favor and defrost you for him."

He starts to caress my shoulder. I immediately knock his hand off of me.

"Dr. Taylor, please keep your hands to yourself!" I demand.

"You know I like it when sheilas play hard to get," he says with a voice full of passion. "Don't fight it. It'll all be over in a few minutes."

Before I know what happens, he's on top of me, pinning me to my seat. His mouth is on mine and his tongue is trying to force its way in. I 'push' him off of me, knocking him into the steering wheel. The horn goes off briefly. I reach for my seatbelt release, but he beats me to it. He grabs for me again, this time tearing my shirt and exposing my right shoulder. He gives me a wolfish grin when he sees my lace bra. I give him another 'push' this time hard enough to slam him against his door. He comes back at me, going for the release again. The seatbelt suddenly breaks and I reach for the door. He quickly reaches past me and locks the door. Keeping one hand on the lock, he grabs me with the other and starts groping me. I 'push' him back hard enough to crack the windshield. I reach for the door again, but he pins me down once more. His mouth is on mine so I can't scream. He's got a solid grip on my arms, so if I 'push' him, I'll just go with him. I'm panicking and I can't think.

Suddenly, the car door is pulled open and hands with claws on the ends reach in and grab Taylor and drag him off of me. By the time I realize what's happened, Taylor and the baginis are gone. I'm shaking so hard that it takes me several minutes to be able to pick up the radio and call in.

"Manning, come in," I say. My voice is shaking so bad that I don't even recognize it as my own.

"Cavendish, is that you?" answers Manning.

"The baginis just took Dr. Taylor," I inform him. "I'm going to try and follow them."

I drop the radio and move into the drivers' seat. Manning is talking into the radio, but I can barely think as it is, so I ignore him. Thank the stars this thing is an automatic since everything is reversed. I'm not sure I could drive a stick while I'm shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

"CAVENDISH, TURN ON YOUR TRANSMITTER!" I hear Manning scream over the radio.

It takes me several tries to finally get the transmitter turned on. Then I go for the keys. I finally manage to get the car started and into gear. I do a 'check' and find a human moving at very high speed toward the hills a couple of miles out. I aim the 4X4 in that direction and floor it.

Some time later, I stop at the opening of a narrow canyon in the hills. By some miracle, I didn't roll the car on the way here. I get out and do another 'check.' They're about a hundred yards up the canyon and I start to carefully pick my way through the dark. A few minutes later I find them.

The baginis has Taylor pinned to the ground with one hand and is caressing him with the other hand, the claws lingering in the area below his waist band. He's whimpering in fear and there's a definite bulge in the front of his pants. I thought I was being quiet, but the baginis suddenly looks up and growls. I see her human form transform into an animal that looks like a cross between a dog and a cat. No wonder no one can say what the animal half is.

"He's mine," she snarls, stopping her caressing, but not letting go of Taylor.

"Why did you pick him?" I ask.

"Because of what he's done," she answers with a hiss. "Because of what he was about to do."

"I'm not sure I understand," I say.

"Why do you stop me from doing to him what he was about to do to you?" she asks me. "What he has done to others."

"I'm curious," I answer. The fear was replaced by anger on the drive over here. "Why did you pick him over the other man in the desert?"

"Because of what he's done. Because of what he was about to do," she repeats. "The other one has never done that. Probably never will. To noble."

"So you're going to rape him because he was about to rape me?" I ask. I feel the cool wind tugging at my torn shirt.

"Yes," she answers. "You. And others."

"He's raped others?"

"Yesssss," she hisses softly. She starts stroking him again. "Many others. I can smell it on him."

"The other men you've done this to, were they rapists too?"

"Oh, yes," she purrs.

"Why are you here? Why pick rapists?"

"She called me," the baginis says. "She was violated. No one would believe. So she called me. I prefer the violators. They're so much tastier."

"I thought you only raped them," I say in confusion.

"It's not their blood I crave," she chuckles.

Ok, that was probably more information than I really wanted. I hear material start to rip.

"MEG!" Taylor screams. "HELP ME!"

"How long will you stay here?" I ask, ignoring him.

"Until I have partaken of all the violators here," she says as she runs another claw down Taylor's pants, tearing the fabric further. "There's only one more here. This one is a bonus."

"Where will you go after the last one?"

"Back to where I came from," she answers. "Back to the Dream Time. Until I am called again. It's been so long since I was called."

Satisfied, I turn to leave.

"MEG! DON'T LEAVE ME! HELP ME!"

"Don't fight it," I tell him over my shoulder. "It'll all be over in a few minutes."

I walk back down the canyon to the sound of a man screaming and cursing as he gets exactly what he deserves.


	5. Debriefing

**Author's Note**: The baginis is a "real" creature from Australian myth. The description that Taylor gives in chapter 3 is accurate. Everything else is artistic license.

I reach the vehicle and turning, sit on the front bumper. I can hear the sound of engines being carried on the wind. The others will be here soon. I take a deep breath and then do some meditation to get my composure back. I know all heck is going to break loose when the others find out what I've done.

Shortly, the others arrive and the area is bathed in the glow of the headlights. Manning and Copus are the first to reach me. I don't look at them; I just stare up into the canyon.

"Agent Cavendish, where's Dr. Taylor?" Manning demands.

I point up the canyon.

"Where's the baginis?" he asks.

Again, I point up the canyon.

"You left him up there with that thing!?" Copus yells.

I stand, turn and face him. The breeze plays with the torn edges of my shirt. Copus looks down and sees my ruined shirt. I can see the others approaching out of the corner of my eye.

"What happened to your shirt?" he asks.

Abe separates himself from the rest of the crowd. He starts heading for the canyon. I close the canyon mouth, stopping him in his tracks.

"Leave him," I say looking at him. "What she's doing to him is a lot more fitting that what any one else could have done."

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Manning orders.

"Taylor tried to rape me," I tell him. "If the baginis hadn't taken him, he might have succeeded. She's now making sure he never does it again."

"You're letting that thing violate one of our top folklorists because of something he might have done?" Copus now demands.

"I wouldn't have been his first," is all I say.

I open the canyon as Taylor comes stumbling out. He's using one hand to hold up the remains of his pants to cover himself. He sees me.

"YOU!" he screams as he heads towards me. He's so focused on me, that he doesn't see Abe there. In fact, it appears he doesn't seem to see anyone else but me. "YOU GOD DAMN FUCKING BITCH! I'LL TEACH YOU TO FUCK WITH ME!"

He raises his hand to hit me, but that's as far as he gets. A blue webbed hand wraps itself around his wrist. Taylor looks around and finally spots Abe just as Abe punches Taylor in the face. Taylor drops to the ground holding his nose. Abe steps over him to me.

"I suggest you get him to a hospital," I tell Copus. "His nose is pretty badly broken."

I turn and head for one of the other vehicles followed by Abe. I climb into the back seat and wait with Abe seated next to me. He doesn't say anything and he doesn't touch me. For that, I'm glad. I'd probably lose it if he did.

A short time later, most of the agents are headed back toward the compound. Some have remained behind to search the canyon, but I'm sure the baginis is long gone. We get back without Abe getting back into the crate. If the security guards are surprised by the blue guy in the back seat, they don't show it.

After we arrive, we immediately head for the conference room from before. Copus and Manning come in a short time later. It looks like you could fry an egg on Copus's head.

"Now, please explain to me why you let that thing violate our top folklorist," Copus demands of me through gritted teeth.

I proceed to tell them everything that happened. Taylor's attack on me, the baginis saving me from him, what the baginis told me and me leaving him to get his just desserts. When I'm done, I stand up.

"If you'll excuse me gentlemen, I need a shower," I say.

I leave the room and head for the quarters I was assigned to. Once I'm there, I strip and throw all of the clothing I was wearing into the garbage. I kind of wish that I had Liz here to burn them, but her pregnancy makes it to dangerous for her to come on missions any more.

I go into the adjoining bathroom and turn on the hot water. I can feel my hands starting shake as my control over myself loosens. As soon as the water is hot, I get in, grab the soap and start to scrub. I lather and rinse and then I lather again. I keep scrubbing, trying to make the dirty feelings go away. I find one spot on my arm and start to vigorously scrub at it. A blue webbed hand gently covers my hand with the soap in it and stops me.

"Moles have to be surgically removed," he says into my ear quietly.

I drop the soap and turn to him. Burying my face into his bare chest, I lose the last bit of control I had. I just stand there and cry as he holds me and the hot water washes over us.

As the tears run out, so does the hot water. Abe turns off the water, grabs a towel off of the rack and wraps it around me. I stand there shivering as he dries me off. When he's done, he wraps me in another towel, picks me up and heads back to the bedroom. Sitting me on the end of the bed, he helps me get dressed.

I'm so tired, I can barely keep my eyes open, but I'm afraid to go to sleep. I'm scared of whose face may be waiting for me on the other side. I can't stop shivering and it has nothing to due with being cold. When he's done dressing me, he pulls down the covers and makes me lie down. He crawls into the narrow bed with me and wraps his arms around me. I cling to him until exhaustion finally claims me.


	6. Leaving

I wake up to the feeling of someone stroking my hair. I smile as I stretch. I run my hand down his chest, across his belly and down to his hip. As I rest my hand there, I realize there's nothing between my hand and him. I open my eyes and look at him. He's smiling at me.

"Good morning," Abe whispers.

"Good morning," I answer.

He leans over and kisses me. My hand starts to wander as my mind goes blank.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Maggie?" John yells through the door.

Groaning, I break off our kiss. Abe finds my neck and starts to kiss it.

"Yes, John, what is it?" I yell back as my eyes roll back.

"Dr. Manning wants to see you in the conference room ASAP," he answers.

"Very well," I reply. "Tell him I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Will do," he calls.

As I hear John walk away, Abe bites my neck. Not hard enough to truly hurt, but hard enough to make me gasp.

"Stop that, you beast," I admonish as I playfully spank him.

"Ten minutes isn't long enough," he growls at me.

"It's long enough for you to get wet," I tell him. "You're skin is all dried out. Now go."

I start trying to push him out of bed. He gracefully rolls out of bed and then grabs my hands, pulling me toward him. I willing let him pull me out of bed and into his arms.

"Join me," he says as he leans down and starts kissing me.

"If"

kiss

"I"

kiss

"do,"

kiss

"I'll"

kiss

"be"

kiss

"late"

kiss

"for"

kiss

"my"

kiss

"meeting"

kiss

"with"

kiss

"Manning."

I put my hand over his mouth. He starts kissing the palm of my hand and my heart starts doing double time. I swear he's going to drive me insane.

"Then Manning will come looking for me," I tell him. "And you do remember the first time we were in a shower together, don't you?"

He pulls my hand away from his mouth and gives me a kiss that makes me forget my own name. He holds me closer and I can feel something hard starting to press into my stomach.

"You'd better go get dressed," he says when he finally lets me up for air.

He lets go of me and I half sit half, fall back onto the bed. I watch him walk into the bathroom and realize that his shorts really don't do him justice.

"Thank you," he says over his shoulder as he disappears through the door. A moment later I hear the shower going.

Smiling, I go to my bag and pull out some clothes and my hiking boots. I just finish dressing when someone knocks on the door again. This time I answer it. It's John again.

"Dr. Manning is looking for Abe," he starts. "Have you seen him?"

"All of him," I answer. "I'll let him know."

I close the door on John's slightly confused face and head for the bathroom. I notice that there's no steam fogging up the room.

"Are you taking a cold shower because you want to or because you have to?" I ask, leaning against the door jam, admiring the view.

"Yes," he answers. "I'll be ready to go in a few minutes."

I go back into the room and wait for him. True to his word, he's ready to go a few minutes later. We head for the conference room and find Manning, Hellboy, John and the rest of the agents there.

"Nice of you two to finally join us," Manning says. "For everyone's information, there was another attack last night. If the baginis is true to its word, than that will be the last one. Not that it matters since we're going to be leaving today. The Australian government is not happy about the fact that we let one of their citizens get attacked, but they are at least willing to acknowledge that what led to the attack is his fault. I want everyone packed and ready to go in one hour. Miss Cavendish and Abe, I would like to talk to the two of you in private."

Abe and I remain in our seats as everyone else files out except Hellboy.

"You too, Hellboy," Manning orders. "Out."

"Make me," Hellboy challenges.

"Dr. Manning, he's going to know everything as soon as we leave, so just spare us the argument," I say.

"Very well," Manning grumbles as he turns away from HB. "In case you two were wondering…"

"We weren't," Abe interrupts. "What he did was totally unacceptable and he deserves a lot worse than what he got."

"Mr. Copus is pretty livid about what happened last night," Manning says. "However, it seems that a lawsuit and charges have been pressed against one Dr. Mark Taylor for sexual assault. It seems he attacked several of his students, male and female, and threatened them with flunking, public humiliation, and worse if they told any one. It seems a few of them decided to take their chances and talk. Now victims are coming out of the wood work. Copus is now conceding that Miss Cavendish was justified in her actions."

"How nice of him," I reply sarcastically.

"That was pretty much what I said," Manning responds. "Because one of the agents under my command was unjustifiably attacked, we're leaving. The Australian government has been told to deal with its own monsters until I decide otherwise. Miss Cavendish, you and I may not see eye to eye on a lot of things, but what happened to you is unforgivable and I won't stand for it."

"Thank you, Dr. Manning," I say, truly meaning it.

"You're welcome," he says. "I suggest you three get a move on. We're leaving in less than an hour."

Abe, Hellboy and I leave heading back toward the quarters.

"So, what was it that you two weren't interested in?" Hellboy asks Abe.

"That I broke Taylor's nose so badly that they're going to have to surgically repair it," Abe answers.

"Hey, if that guy had done that to Liz, I would have done the same thing," Hellboy tells him.

"Would you have punched him with your right hand or left hand?" I ask HB as we come to the corridor that my quarters are located on.

"Right," he answers as he walks towards his room.

"Ouch," Abe comments.

"Except that if Taylor had attacked Liz, there wouldn't have been enough left of him to punch," I reply, as I head for my room, depressed. "I can command Earth and Air, but I can't get some jerk off of me."

I head back to my room. When I get there, it feels like I'm drowning in despair. I can barely breathe. Abe gently touches my arm.

"I'll always be there to keep you from drowning," he whispers in my ear.

And the Keeper of Wind and Earth once again collapses in a flood of tears. Abe is true to his word.


	7. Departure

After the latest deluge is over, Abe just stands there holding me until the shuddering finally stops. I continue to stand there with my ear pressed to his chest listening to his heart beat. The coolness of his skin feels so good against my cheek. I suddenly realize something.

"How do you always manage to get your top off without me noticing?" I ask him.

I can hear him chuckle through his chest.

"Talent," he answers as he kisses the top of my head.

I sigh and shakily pull away from him. I look up into those incredible blue eyes of his.

"I guess I need to get packed," I say.

"I'll help," he tells me.

I refold my dirty clothes as Abe retrieves the things from the bathroom. He walks back in as I'm folding my undergarments.

"Need help?" he asks as several naughty images flash through my mind. I know they came from him.

"Have you always been this lecherous?" I ask him as I feel my cheeks warm up. I try to keep my mind on what I'm doing, but it's hard to do. I can almost feel his eyes on me.

"No," he answers. "I've never had any desires like this before I met you."

"Me either," I quietly tell him. I can't quite look at him. "I've never needed anyone before. After my parents died, I became a self contained entity. I never wanted to be hurt again, so I never let anyone get really close to me. Even my family I've pretty much kept at arms length. They called me the Snow Queen in college. I actually liked the title."

I can feel my breath catch in my throat as the memory of last night resurfaces. Abe drops the various bottles he was carrying onto the bed and pulls me toward him. I have no more tears to cry so I just stand there shaking and trying to breath with strong loving arms of blue encircling me.

In my mind, I keep replaying what happened last night. His hands hurting me, his lips forcefully on mine and I shake even harder. What if…

"What if she hadn't come, Abe?" I ask without looking up. "What if Taylor had managed to…managed to…"

"But she did come," Abe answers. "And for that, I will forever be in her debt."

I finally look into his incredible blue eyes. I notice the way the light plays on his beautiful blue and green mottled skin. How could a being so beautiful and so perfect love me?

"Because I do," he says.

He bends down and gently kisses me. The rest of the world disappears as nothing but the feeling of his lips on mine matters. I would gladly stay here forever if I could.

The sound of footsteps and people talking outside the door brings the real world crashing back into our lives. With a sigh, our lips part. I give him a gentle squeeze and go back to my packing.

In a short time, my packing is done and Abe has donned his gear once more. Then we're in the staging area. Hellboy and Abe are packed back into their crates as I climb into the cab of the flatbed truck. The driver seems a little bit surprised that I'm there at first, but doesn't comment.

About an hour later, we're all back on the plane and headed home. After finally getting something to eat, I wander around looking for something to do. I find a TV and some videos hidden away in one of the cupboards in the eating area. After determining that the TV works, I start rummaging through the movies trying to find one that looks it might be worth watching.

"Whatcha doin'?" Hellboy asks from behind me.

"I'm looking for a movie where nothing blows up," I answer without turning around.

"The 'chick flicks' are in the cupboard above you," he tells me.

"Thanks," I reply as I open the cupboard.

"Sure," he says as he walks away.

I find a much smaller selection of movies that are more my speed right now. I quickly go through them, pick one out, and I pop the movie in. After fast forwarding past the FBI warning and the ads, I turn around to sit. Abe's already there.

"Are you sure you want to watch a 'chick flick' with me?" I ask him teasingly.

"I'd watch paint dry if it meant being with you," he answers.

My heart melts as I walk over and gently kiss him. I settle down next to him and he puts his arm around me as we watch the opening scene to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

As we're watching the scene where Aunt Voula finds out that Ian is a vegetarian and then says, "That's all right, I make lamb," I feel the plane start to bank.

"We're turning," I say.

I get up and turn off the movie just as Hellboy and the other agents walk in. Manning is a couple of seconds behind them. Everyone starts to take a seat, so I retake mine. As soon as everyone is seated Manning starts to speak.

"Undoubtedly, you've all noticed we've changed directions," he starts. "I just received word that we're needed for another case."

"Where to this time, boss?" one of the agents asks.

"Panama."

**Disclaimer:** I don't own My Big Fat Greek Wedding or any of the characters therein.


	8. Monsters and Nightmares

"So what's in Panama?" Hellboy grunts. "Besides a canal."

"A canal that's infested with monsters," answers Manning. "It seems canal workers, fisherman, locals and the occasional sailor are starting to disappear around Gatun Lake. Now Gatun Lake is an artificial lake and the central part of the canal and since the canal is major shipping through fare, it's vital that we clear up this problem as soon as possible."

"What information do we have on this creature?" Abe asks.

"All we know so far is that they seem to like human flesh and prefers the nails, teeth and eyes," answers Manning. "We have one witness who claims that he heard someone crying before the victim was taken. The witness also claims that what came out of the water looked like a monkey's tail with a hand attached at the end of it. I've already sent a message to Mr. Chavez asking him to do some research."

"Do we know how many of them there are?" Abe inquires.

"No," Manning replies. "But we know there are at least a few of them in there. There have been attacks at several different locations all at about the same time. Abe, since you're going to be the one to do the investigation, you'll need to make sure your equipment is ready. If there's something you need that we don't have on board, let me know and I'll send a message to have it ready when we land."

My blood runs cold with Manning's statement. I always knew that what Abe did was dangerous, but I've never really thought about it. It was always a distant danger that never really sank in that it could cost him his life. The thought of losing him is more than I want to think about, so I force myself to think of other things.

"Dr. Manning," I say. "I'm not sure what help I can give in this case. I have no control of anything that is water based."

"I'm sorry, Miss Cavendish, but I'm afraid that you're just going to have to come along for the ride," he replies. "We won't be able to take you home first. And you never know maybe there will be a use for your talents."

"Very well," is all I can say.

"Are there any more questions?" Manning asks. After a few moments of silence, he says, "All right then, dismissed. We'll be arriving in Panama in about ten hours. I want everyone to make sure they get some rest."

Everyone leaves, including Abe. He's probably gone to check his gear, so I turn the TV back on and try to finish the movie. I can't concentrate so I turn it off after a few minutes. I wander off trying to find something to do.

Everyone else is busy getting everything ready for the mission. Guns are cleaned and loaded and spare clips are prepared. I even see Hellboy creating bullets for the Samaritan.

I find Abe working in a cabinet next to his tank. It's filled with a whole array of knives in plastic and rubber sheaths, spears and spear guns. Abe is honing one of the knives. Watching him do this brings home the danger he's about to go into once more. I turn to leave, not wanting to disturb him.

"You've always known what I do," he says without turning. "Why does it bother you now?"

"It's just," I start. I'm not sure how to say this. I stare at his tank when I finally do answer. "Abe, every mission we've been on together, I've been able to help with in some way. We were able to work together. This time is different. Once you get in that water, I'll be useless. Helpless. And quite frankly, I don't like that feeling. It scares me."

"Do you want to help me?" he asks.

"I don't see how I can," I answer quietly.

Staring at the floor, I start to walk away. I'm stopped by a blue webbed hand. I look at him as he hands me the honing stone and knife he was working on.

"Help me get ready?"

I nod. He shows me how to sharpen the knives. While I do that, he checks the spear guns to make sure they're functioning properly and that they're well oiled. Then he checks the spears for any rust spots or weaknesses. By the time we're finished a couple of hours have gone by and my arms are now a bit tired.

I try to rub the soreness out of my arms as I watch Abe pack the last of the knives in a special crate along with the spear guns and spears. As he shuts the crate, in the back of my mind I notice that it looks a little bit too much like a coffin.

"No it doesn't," he says. I look at him guiltily. "Hungry?"

My stomach grumbles.

"Yeah, I guess I am," I chuckle softly.

A short time later, we're finishing our lunches. My shoulders and neck are now starting to ache from my earlier work. I start trying to roll the tension out of my shoulders and neck. I'm so busy trying to ease the ache that I don't notice Abe stand and come up behind me. All of a sudden his hands are on my shoulders massaging them.

"Mmmm," is the most coherent thing I can say as I close my eyes and relax into his ministrations. He knows where are all of the knots are and methodically rubs them out. By the time he's done, I can probably be poured into a bucket.

"You should get some rest," he says quietly into my ear.

"You expect me to be able to walk after that?" I ask, opening an eye.

Chuckling, he pulls my chair back and scoops me up into his arms. I wrap my arms around his respirator as he carries me to the cots. Putting me in one, he helps me get my shoes off and then covers me with a blanket. He kisses me gently and strokes my hair as I feel my eyes close.

"Sleep sweet, my love," he whispers as he leaves.

Sighing, I roll onto my side and follow his suggestion.

_I'm in the Outback and the sun is at its zenith. I can't see any buildings or hills. I'm not sure which way to go. I pick a direction and take a step. Suddenly I'm surrounded by a cage made of ice. I touch the bars and my hand burns with the coldness. The cage is so small that I can barely turn around. I definitely can't sit. I hear laughter coming from behind me. I carefully turn around and see Taylor standing just outside the cage laughing._

"_It's time to defrost the Ice Princess," he snarls with a malicious look on his face._

_He reaches through the bars and roughly grabs my breast. _

"_Don't touch me," I yell._

_I try and 'push' him away, but all I do is shake the cage. I try and move away, but the frozen bars stop me. He tears my shirt with his other hand as the first hand continues to painfully grab me._

"_NO!" I shout 'pushing' with all my might. The cage tips over and I start to fall, screaming._

"MAGGIE, WAKE UP!" Abe shouts into my ear.

My eyes snap open. I'm lying on top of Abe and he's lying on the floor next to the cot. I'm shaking so hard I can barely breathe. I gasp for air as tears start coursing down my face. Wrapping one of his arms around me, Abe carefully sits up. I can hear yelling from other parts of the plane. Hellboy and Manning come charging in.

"What the hell happened!?" Manning yells. "Why was she screaming!?"

"Maggie had a nightmare," Abe calmly answers as he cradles me in his lap. "Please leave. She's upset enough as it is."

I instinctively burry my face into Abe's bare chest. I can hear Manning draw a breath to say something, but Hellboy grabs him and drags him away. As I slowly calm down, Abe holds me and strokes my hair. I finally notice that he's damp and it's not from my tears.

"Why are you wet?" I ask.

"I was in my tank when you started having your nightmare," he answers. "You were using your powers in you nightmare. It spilled over into the real world."

I shudder at the thought that I could have killed everyone on the plane. Abe holds me closer.

"Why was I lying on top of you?" I ask. "And why are we on the floor?"

"You fell out of the cot," he answers. "I barely managed to get under you before you hit the floor."

I finally notice the half dried wet streak running half way across the floor.

"You slid across the floor to catch me, didn't you?"

"Yes," says into my hair.

"I feel like such an idiot," I say quietly. "I haven't had a nightmare since I was ten. The last one was on the one year anniversary of my parents' death."

"So what caused this one?" asks Hellboy.

I nearly jump out of my skin. I hadn't noticed his return. I look up and see Manning standing just behind HB.

"Taylor was attacking me again," I answer.

"What causes these nightmares?" asks Manning.

"Something traumatic," I reply. "When my parents died, I had them every night for six months. Then it went down to once a week. Then once every couple of weeks until the anniversary."

"So we can expect these every night for at least six months?" Manning asks irritably.

"I don't know," I tell him. "I've heard of some Mages having nightmares for years."

"Great," Manning grumbles. "You could be doing this for years and we have no way of stopping it."

"It's not stoppable, but it is manageable," I say. "It only requires at least one other Mage of the same element. After my parent's died, Guillermo was able to stop any of the earthquakes that I would have started. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to stop the wind storms. Both he and my grandmother had to work together for that first year."

"What exactly does he have to do?" Manning asks.

"He has to be close to me when I'm sleeping," I reply. "Not in the same room, but at least in the same building. That either means he has to come and live with me, or I have to start sleeping at the bureau."

"Why didn't you have a nightmare last night?" asks Hellboy.

I stare at him because I have no answer.

"I stopped the nightmares last night," Abe replies.

I turn and look Abe in the eyes. I'm too stunned to speak at first.

"No one has _ever_ been able to stop a nightmare before," I whisper.

I hear a door open near by.

"Dr. Manning?" a man wearing pilots' wings says. "We'll be landing within the hour and Mr. Chavez is on the radio for you."

"Thank you, captain," Manning responds.

The pilot nods, turns, and heads back through the door to the cockpit. Manning follows the captain through the door.

"I guess it's time to get up," I say.

"That might be a good idea," Abe replies.

A short time later, I'm in the cargo area with HB and Abe when Manning walks in.

"Ok, I've talked to Mr. Chavez," he tells us as he looks at a piece of paper. "He thinks this thing is an Ahuizotl. It's half man, half monkey and there's a hand that comes out of the tail. It's totally aquatic, so we don't have to worry about it leaving the water."

"Did he have any idea why these things are suddenly appearing?" I ask.

"No, he didn't," Manning answers. "We'll just have to see if we can figure that one out once we get there. We'll be landing at night, so we should be able to get into position without any one noticing."

"Does this mean that Abe and Hellboy won't have to ride in the crates?" I inquire hopefully.

"Sorry, we can't take a chance of anyone seeing them," he tells me.

He leaves as I feel the cabin pressure change. We're starting to descend. A short time later we're on the ground. Abe and HB are packed up and the ramp lowers. Soon we're heading out into the jungle. As we come to a secluded spot near the lake, I can see the false dawn on the horizon.

Abe and Hellboy are released from their boxes. The crate with Abe's equipment is brought out and I watch as Abe straps knives to his lower legs, arms and thighs. There's also one on his hip. Then he cocks and loads two of the spear guns. He's ready to enter the water just as the sun starts to come over the horizon. I meet him at the waters edge and kiss him.

"Good luck," I say. "Please be careful."

"Thank you," he replies. "I will."

In a blink of an eye he's gone, leaving not so much as a ripple in the water. I walk away from the water toward the trees passing agents cocking the other spear guns and loading them. Hellboy is stationed a ways into the forest. He's close enough that he can get to the water easily, but far enough back that he's not easily seen. He's smoking a cigar and I put it out. He scowls at me.

"If you burn down this forest," I warn him. "I'll tie your tail in three knots."

He mumbles something about him thinking that Liz was irritable as I walk past him and sit at the base of one of the trees. I lean my head back against the tree and try not to think about the danger Abe's in. Suddenly, something moves underneath me. I 'feel' around and a smile starts to spread across my face. I stand and start to follow my 'feeling.'

"Where're you goin'?" Hellboy asks.

"To see a friend," I tell him as I walk away.


	9. Old Friend and New Enemy

I walk farther away from the water. I can hear Hellboy following me, but I just ignore him for now. I come to a stop just out of sight of the water. I send out a tendril of energy to my friend. He responds.

"What the…" Hellboy starts as he stops behind me.

"Hold still," I interrupt. "And don't touch the Samaritan."

Before he can start to argue with me, the ground in front of us explodes. I start laughing as twenty-five feet of Earth Wyrm arches over us and re-enters the ground just behind us.

"Aw, crap," Hellboy grumbles. "Not them again. What do they want this time?"

"Actually, it's just the one this time," I tell him as the Wyrm makes another pass. "I think he just wants to say, 'hi.'"

I suddenly feel myself being lifted in air. Giving out a shriek of surprise as I lose my balance, I find myself straddling a coil of Wyrm. The Wyrm is looped in and out of the ground like those old pictures of sea serpents. The Wyrm turns his head toward me and pushes his snout into me, nearly knocking me off of his back. Another coil comes up behind me and steadies me. I recognize him as the first Wyrm that we healed.

_You have come,_ he says.

"I didn't really have much of a choice," I tell him holding onto the warm moist skin below me with my legs. "How are you?"

_We are all alive because of you,_ he replies as he tries to rest his head on my lap.

"How are the parents?" I ask while I stroke his incredibly soft skin.

_They grieve,_ he answers quietly. _Time will heal their pain._

Hellboy lets out a snort and turns to leave. He's stopped by the Wyrm grabbing HB's right hand in his mouth.

"Hey," HB yells indignantly.

"He's trying to thank you for your help," I tell HB.

"Fine, you're welcome. Now can I have my hand back?" he says grumpily.

The Wyrm lets go of Hellboy and turns back to me. He breathes on me and it smells like moist, freshly turned earth. Hellboy starts to turn and leave again.

_You are going to make him go away, are you not? _He asks me.

"Make who go away?" I ask. Hellboy stops and looks back at us over his shoulder.

_The one who has brought _them_ here, _he says.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning," I tell him.

_Several sun rises ago, one of your kind came,_ he replies. _He smells of water. He brought them here, and now they kill those who live by the water. Their refuse is poisoning the ground. Please make him go away._

"What exactly are 'they' that you're talking about?" I ask him in confusion.

He answers so quietly, that if I wasn't hearing him in my mind, I wouldn't have caught it.

_Ahuizotl._

"You know who brought the ahuizotl here?" I ask excitedly. "Do you know where he is? Can you take me to him?"

Hellboy turns and faces me as the Wyrm disappears back under the ground. I suddenly find myself sitting in the dirt. HB walks over and helps me to my feet.

"Wormy knows who's responsible for these monsters?" he asks as I brush myself off.

"I think so," I answer.

"So, where'd it go?" he inquires.

"_He_ is right underneath us," I reply. "Something's wrong. Let me see if I can get him to tell me."

I send another tendril of energy down to the Wyrm. He slowly re-emerges from the ground. Only his head is visible this time. I suddenly realize that the Wyrms' head is actually a bit longer than HB is tall.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

_He is poisoning the ground with his work,_ he answers. _I cannot go near him._

"Can you at least take us as far as you can go, and then point us in the right direction?" I inquire.

_Yes,_ he replies hesitantly.

"Will you do this?" I ask.

_Yes, _he says after a long pause.

"He says he'll do it," I tell Hellboy.

"Good," Hellboy grunts back. "I was getting bored sitting around here anyways."

"Do you think we should tell Manning?" I ask.

"Nah," he answers. "He's busy trying to keep an eye on Abe."

Just mentioning Abe's name is enough to remind me that I want to stop this guy as soon as possible.

_Others have tried to stop him,_ the Wyrm warns me. _They have all failed. He commands the water and has drowned all of his adversaries. Where is the fiery one? _

"What an idiot I've been," I say as I smack myself in the head with my hand. "A Water Mage is creating these things. You're right my friend, Liz would be a lot better choice for this mission then me, but she's not here."

"So why is a Water Mage doing this?" Hellboy asks.

"Not a clue," I tell him. "Why don't we go ask him?"

Hellboy takes the Samaritan out and checks that it's loaded. He stuffs it back into its holster and looks at me.

"Sounds good to me," he says with a lopsided smile. "Let's go."

We spend the next several hours following the Wyrm through the rain forest. We stay pretty far from the water's edge, though we do catch occasional glimpses of the lake through the trees. Finally, the Wyrm stops.

_I can go no farther,_ he says. _You must head toward the water. That is where you will find him._

I understand why he's not willing to go any farther. I can 'feel' it in the ground and smell it on the wind. A sickness is slowly killing the ground and the plants. The leaves of the plants and trees are wilting and yellowing. I can see black spots on leaves and branches. I'm actually getting a bit nauseated from being here.

"Thank you for your help, my friend," I say to him.

_You're welcome, _he replies and then disappears into the ground.

"I don't dare use my powers for fear of alerting this guy to my presence," I tell Hellboy. "The Wyrm said to head toward the water."

"Are you ok?" Hellboy asks. "You look a little green."

"The Wyrm was right," I answer. "The ground is poisoned. Look at the leaves and branches of the plants."

"Ok, that's bad," he says as he touches one of the branches and the leaves all fall off.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can get out of here," I tell him. "Let's go."

Hellboy nods and we start heading toward the water. As we get closer to the lake, the sickness gets worse and my stomach fells like it wants to revolt. By the time we can see the water's edge, most of the undergrowth is dead and the trees look like they're about to fall. There are no animal or insect sounds at all here.

I stop Hellboy and pull him behind a dying tree. I point down to the lake to a woman standing in the water. She's up to her knees and I can see her molding the water like it was clay. It looks like she's making something that looks like a cross between a man and a monkey.

"That's our 'guy'?" he asks quietly.

"It must be," I whisper back. "The Wyrm obviously doesn't know how to tell a male human from a female. He was probably just using the generic 'he'."

"Ok, so now what do we do?" he inquires.

"We need to get her out of the water," I answer. "Do you think you could circle around and grab her? I'll try and keep her distracted."

"Ok, but I think Abe would be better suited for this," he says.

"Actually, Abe would be the last person I'd want here," I tell him. "She's a Water Mage. She can control things that live in the water. She'd be able to make him do whatever she wanted."

"Give me a minute and then start to distract her," he says and he moves away.

I'm impressed how quietly he can move when he puts his mind to it. I slowly count to sixty and then I head toward the waters edge. As soon as I pass the last tree, I stop. She's just finished making the latest ahuizotl.

"So how's the fishing?" I ask a bit more loudly then normal.

She spins around and glares at me with her dark eyes. Her hair falls like a black waterfall down her back. She's wearing just enough clothing to cover herself, but not much else.

"What do you want?" she demands.

"Just what I asked," I reply. "How's the fishing?"

"Liar," she snarls at me.

She's a Mage all right. She knows that I'm lying. I pray that Hellboy hurries it up. I try and stall for more time.

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"Your blood pressure went up," she says with a sneer.

"How were you able to tell that?" I ask trying to act surprised.

Ok, I'm no Julia Roberts and it's obvious that she knows it.

"Come closer and I'll show you," she answers.

"No thanks," I tell her. "I like it right here."

Suddenly, a column of water comes snaking towards me. I barely manage to dodge behind a tree in time. I hear her laughing a cruel laugh.

"Well, well, well," she snarls. "It seems that you might not be as easy to get rid of as the others. But no matter, I'll kill you in the end. Come out and I'll make it quick."

"Leave her alone," says a voice that makes my heart stop.

"ABE, GET OUT OF HERE!" I scream as I come out from behind the tree.

But it's too late. The water mage has seen him and seized control over him. He's standing rigid with a loaded spear gun in one hand an empty one in the other.

"Oh ho," she purrs. "What have we here?"

She goes over to him and starts circling him. She looks at him like a starving man would look at a steak dinner.

"A fish man," she breathes.

She grabs him in the crotch. What is it with other women grabbing him there?

"And he's definitely a man. I can't wait to claim you," she purrs at him. "But business first. Kill her."

Abe raises the loaded spear gun and aims it straight at me. As his finger moves toward the trigger, I hear his voice in my head.

_I love you._


	10. Control

A flash of red, the twang of a released spear, a splash and a shot gone wild all happen in the space of a heartbeat. The spear ends up imbedded in the tree behind me a few feet above my head quietly vibrating from the force of the impact. I silently thank whatever powers that be that Hellboy went for Abe and not the Water Mage.

The Water Mage turns and sees Hellboy starting to get up with a firm grip on Abe. Suddenly, the water engulfs HB and pulls him back under. Hellboy releases Abe as his arms start flailing about. I see Abe unsheathe one of his knives and stand over HB.

"Kill him," she orders.

I grab a couple of rocks off of the ground and in quick succession, I throw them. I use the wind to give them power and direction. The first one knocks the knife out of Abe's hand as he raises his arm up. The second one nails the Water Mage in the back of the head.

She spins around. If looks could kill, I'd be a pile of dust. But my distraction worked, she's released Abe and he's now helping Hellboy to stand up.

"You'll pay for that, bitch," she snarls as another, larger column of water comes at me.

This time I'm ready for it. A blast of wind splits the water column in two causing the water to go on either side of me.

"So, you're an Air Mage," she sneers. "An air head like you won't be able to stop me."

She's so intent on me that she doesn't realize what's happening right behind her. Before she can send another jet of water at me, Hellboy grabs her from behind and lifts her out of the water. He starts heading for shore with her kicking and screaming all the way.

Abe seems to have beaten a hasty retreat, thankfully. However, the water seems to be boiling now. Before I can warn him, Hellboy is attacked by several ahuizotls. They grab him and start pulling him under water again. Hellboy has to release his grip on the Water Mage to start fighting them off. Before she can turn her attention back to HB, I remind her that I'm still here with another rock.

"You are so dead," she growls.

The water retreats from the shore as I feel her pour her power into it. I have a very bad feeling about this. I look around and notice that all of the water that's been shot at me has washed some of the poison away. Off in the distance, I hear a motor boat.

I head for the first tree that got a dousing and start pouring my own power into it, pushing the poison out and healing it as much as I can. I wrap my arms around the trunk. With my face pressed into the roughness of the trunk, I cause the bark to grow around me, almost completely encasing me in the trees' trunk.

A shadow passes over me, and I look up in time to see a twenty foot wave come crashing down on me. I take a deep breath and close my eyes waiting for the impact, and it hits a second later. It hits so hard that my ears ring and see stars behind my eyelids.

Some time later, I look in a daze as the water recedes back into the lake, taking more of the poison with it. I see Hellboy lying on the ground a little ways off with a few ahuizotls around him. HB starts to move and get up while the ahuizotls flop around like fish out of water.

I can hear the Water Mage screaming in pain and frustration. I can barely see her out of the corner of my eye. I can hear the sound of a motor boat getting closer.

"How did you do it?" she screams. "You're an Air Mage; you can't make the trees do what you want. That's impossible. And now you've poisoned my water. I'm going to make your death slow and painful now."

I see Hellboy stand up, take the Samaritan out and level it at her.

"I don't think so, lady," he growls.

A ski boat pulls up and Manning and a few other agents level their guns at her as well. I start to push away from the tree, breaking off the bark that shielded me.

"Freeze!" Manning yells.

The Water Mage looks over her shoulder at them. I can 'feel' her starting to pull her power to her. Another rock catches her in the head again. Snarling, she turns back to me. Throwing several rocks into the air at once, I aim them all at her. She dives into the water and disappears. I stop the progress of the rocks just before they get to the boat and let them drop into the water.

Manning and the other agents are scanning the water, keeping their guns at the ready. I 'feel' for the other Mage. She's already half way across the lake.

"You can put your guns away," I tell them. "She's gone."

"What do you mean 'she's gone'?" Manning asks. "She has to come up for air some time."

"No, actually, she doesn't, Dr. Manning," I reply as I start to walk into the water keeping an eye out for any more of the ahuizotls. Hellboy is right behind me with the Samaritan still out. "She's a Water Mage. She's about as likely to drown to death as Liz is to burn to death."

The agent behind the wheel maneuvers the boat a little closer to shore. I'm helped up into the boat by Hellboy. As I take a spot near the pilot, Hellboy climbs in causing the boat to rock dangerously. But after a moments scare, the boat evens out.

"She went that way," I tell the agent behind the wheel, pointing out over the water and right through the shipping lanes.

"Explain to me why we're going after her," Manning says.

"Because she's the one who's been creating the ahuizotls," I explain.

"Good explanation," he replies as he turns to the agent. "Let's go."

The engine roars to life as the boat starts to cut across the waves. I get a good grip on the boat as I turn to Manning.

"How did you find us?" I ask, yelling to be heard above the wind and motor.

"Your transmitter was on," he answers just as loudly.

"But I didn't turn it on," I respond as I check the device at my waist. Sure enough, it's on.

"Maybe Wormy knocked into it when he was tossing you around," Hellboy suggests from where he's kneeling on the floor of the boat. His voice reverberates so well, he doesn't really need to yell.

"That's entirely possible," I reply. I turn back to Manning. "Where's Abe?"

"We're not sure," he answers. "He hasn't turned his transmitter on."

The thought of him in the water with her is enough to make cold shivers run down my spine. I hold on as the boat cuts across the wakes of the cargo ships crossing the lake. I 'feel' around for her and then I point out a nearly hidden cove to the pilot. We slow down and turn into the mouth of the small cove.

We see her and she has Abe again. They're standing in the shallows and she's working on getting his shorts off. He's standing perfectly still and doing nothing to help her or stop her. I am now officially upset.

I 'feel' around for some 'help.' I find her not far from where they are and she seems willing to help. There's also another who's willing to help, he's a bit farther away, but he's headed in our direction.

"I'm going to fall down now," I say to no one in particular.

I 'send' myself out, but unlike the times I've sent myself into the earth, this is very different. I join myself to the jaguar just off shore. After a moment's disorientation, I join with her mind and I guide her, direct her. I never take complete control, after all, she's the one who knows how to hunt and fight.

A few seconds later, we're down by the waters edge. We spring at the pale one, grabbing her in our claws and teeth, kicking with our back feet. We fall into the water so fast she doesn't have time to scream. She struggles under us for a few moments before the water starts to push us down. We let go, and try to struggle up for air, but the water keeps us down. I 'leave' and find my second helper.

The Harpy Eagle wobbles in the air for a moment before steadying in his flight. With amazing clarity and detail, we see the woman below. We also can see the boat getting closer to her. Abe is climbing into the boat and my body is lying in Hellboy's arms. But that doesn't matter now, what matters is stopping this woman from drowning the jaguar.

We dive into a silent attack. Bring our feet forward at the last possible moment, we strike and dig our talons into the soft flesh. Pumping our wings, we take flight again raking long gouges in her shoulder as she screams in pain. We get back up into the air and circle around. The jaguar is on shore and shaking the water out of her coat. The woman is staring at us with murder in her eyes. A thin jet of water shoots up into the air, but we easily dodge it.

"FREEZE!" we hear yell. The boat is now next to the woman and the men and Hellboy have their guns drawn. Abe is on the floor cradling me in his arms.

The woman now turns her attention toward the men in the boat. We dive again and this time we strike her head. Taking flight once more, we circle around and see Hellboy start to drag the woman out of the water kicking and screaming. She grabs HB and starts doing something to him that causes him to bellow in pain. We attack again leaving gouges across her exposed back before heading upwards once again.

She's finally lying in the boat and anyone with a gun has it pointed at her. I give a silent thanks to the eagle and jaguar and return to myself.

I open my eyes and look around disoriented. I blink several times as my mind adjusts to being just me again. Abe is holding me close to his body in almost a strangle hold. I feebly try to push away from him so I can see what's going on.

He sits me up and I see the Water Mage on the floor of the boat glaring at the agents and Hellboy. She's been cuffed around the ankles and wrists. She has a multitude of wounds but none of them are bleeding badly. In fact, they're barely bleeding at all despite how deep they are.

I can hear the boat start up. In a few moments we're bouncing across the water headed somewhere. I lean against Abe shaking from the exertion of joining with two animals. I look back at the Water Mage. She's glaring at me with murderous eyes.

"I'm going to kill you," she growls at me. "And then I'm going to take your fish man for myself. I have wonderful plans for him."

I sit up and turn to Abe. Taking his face into my hands, I give him a long, slow kiss which he gladly returns. I can feel his arms tighten around me. I'm not sure how long we kiss, but when we finally part, I'm feeling a lot better. I turn back to her.

"Even if you do kill me," I tell her, "he'll never truly be yours."

She just lies there and glares at me. I 'check' her. It's taking all of her energy to keep from bleeding all over the place, so we're safe from her for now. Hellboy shifts his position where he was kneeling so that he's between us and she now has to glare at him.

I lean back into Abe and rest. I've joined with animals before, but I've only been along for the ride. I've never directed their actions and never more than one at a given time. I'm more exhausted then I've ever been from a joining.

By the time we start to slow down, I'm nearly asleep. I open my eyes and see that we're next to a cutter. It has official looking markings and the men on board of it are all wearing what looks to be some sort of police uniform. Manning and one of the men from the cutter are talking in earnest. After they're done talking, Hellboy grabs the woman and hands her over to the Panama officials.

I start trying to warn them about her, but the cutter pulls away before I can get a word out. Soon, we're back to the agents that remained behind. We climb out of the boat and splash our way back to shore as the boat is returned to wherever it came from.

I can see about a dozen ahuizotls lying dead on the shore. Manning is starting to issue orders and the agents start to get organized.

"Abe, you need to get back in the water and find the rest of the creatures," Manning orders.

"There should only be a few left," Abe replies. "I was able to pick up that she only made fifteen ahuizotls."

"Hellboy, how many ahuizotls washed up on shore with you earlier?" I ask.

"I don't know," he answers with a shrug. "A few."

"Dr. Manning, could you please send someone to check to see if those things died?" I ask. "They didn't look like they were doing to well when we left. And if that's all of them, then you won't need to send Abe back in."

"All right," he says.

He picks up a radio and makes a call to someone. A couple of minutes later, the ski boat goes speeding by. Hellboy, Abe and I head up to the tree line just as a light rain starts to fall. I take a seat at the base of a tree and rest my head against it while Abe sits down next to me. Hellboy wanders off probably looking for a place to light his cigar.

"I'm sorry," Abe says quietly.

"You're forgiven," I tell him, leaning my head on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

Manning walks up to us and opens his mouth with a look on his face like he's about to start telling us off. His radio squawks and he answers it. After a few moments of conversation, he turns back to us.

"There are four dead ahuizotls back where we found you," he starts. "There are already eleven dead here. I guess that means we got them all."

"Does that mean we can go home now?" I ask.

"Yes," he answers.

"Good," I tell him before he can say any more. "You can chew me out after I've had a nap and something to eat."

He looks a bit perplexed about this, but nods his head in agreement. Then he goes off to find Hellboy.

Within a couple of hours we're in the air and headed home.


	11. As She Lies Sleeping

As she lies sleeping, I watch over her, chasing the nightmares away as I gently stroke her hair. It's amazingly soft despite the fact she hasn't had a chance to wash it lately. She's pulled it back into one of those damn braids again, but I guess it's for the best, since I'd probably play with it instead of standing guard over her dreams.

She twitches and whimpers in her sleep and I can feel the nightmare forming. All the same elements from the first nightmare are there. The Outback, an ice cage and Taylor are all present, but now there's a new figure. It's me pointing a spear gun straight at her.

I quickly push the nightmare away and she sighs, falling into a deeper sleep. Pulling my hand away, I put my elbows onto my knees and drop my face into my hands. The guilt returns. She said that she forgave me, and I know that she did. But obviously, her subconscious hasn't.

All she had to do was look at me and I couldn't move. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop myself from pointing that spear gun at Maggie. All I could do is watch in horror as the woman I love looked at me with absolute terror in her eyes.

The only other time I've ever felt so helpless was when they were performing those tests on me after I was revived. After Hellboy freed me from that tank, it never occurred to me that someone could control me so completely again. I thank god that Hellboy was able to stop me. I don't think I would have been able to live knowing that I killed Maggie.

I pull my mind back to the one who was responsible for this mess. I have never both hated and feared a person so totally in my life. She tried to make me kill Maggie, she tried to rape me and there was nothing I could do to stop her. The parallels between Maggie's experience with Taylor and me with this woman are not lost on me. It makes the rotten eggs I ate earlier feel like that I swallowed river rocks instead.

"How is she?" asks Manning.

I was so consumed with my thoughts and guilt that I didn't hear or sense him come into the area. He's actually concerned about her, that's kind of shocking, but that's not the only reason he's here. I unfold my legs from the full lotus position I was sitting in and stand up. I hand a clipboard with my report to him.

"She's sleeping soundly now," I answer. "I've managed to stop the nightmare a couple of times now. That doesn't mean it won't try and resurface again. It's best if I stay here for now. I'll type up the report after we get back."

"That's fine, Abe," he says as he starts to walk away with the report. "We'll have the debriefing after she wakes up and eats. Keep up the good work."

'Good work' he calls it. I wasn't able to protect her when she needed me the most and then I nearly kill her. 'Good work' indeed.

Sighing, I cross my legs again and settle down on the floor next to Maggie's' cot. I place my hand once more on her head and watch her dreams. She's gone back into REM sleep again. She must have done that while I was talking to Manning. I check and it's a dream about horses giving birth. It's actually a little gross and fascinating at the same time.

The mare turns into Magick. She climbs on his bare back and then their riding through the forest at top speed. They're trying to outrun an unseen monster. They come around a corner and there I am with the spear gun between them and the fence that surrounds headquarters.

I try something different. Instead of stopping the dream, I try and change it a little. I make my dream self point the gun behind her and fire at the unseen monster, managing to kill it. Suddenly, my dream self is behind her on Magick and we're riding along a beach at sunrise. She stops Magick, and then turns and kisses me.

The dream fades as Maggie opens her eyes and smiles at me. I smile back and stroke her hair.

"Hi," she says quietly.

"Hi," I answer back.

She flinches slightly. Oops. I forgot to brush my teeth after eating. I stand and help her get out of the cot. She wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head on my chest. She's listening to my heartbeat. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and hold her close. After a couple of minutes like this, I hear her stomach growl. Chuckling, I step back.

"Go get something to eat," I tell her. "Manning wants to start the meeting after you're done."

"What is it with that man and his meetings?" she asks rhetorically. Then her eyes brighten and mischievous smile comes across her face. "Does that mean if I don't eat, there won't be a meeting?"

"No, it means we'll have to try and hear Manning over the growling of your stomach," I answer.

"Drat," she pouts.

"Go," I order her, pushing her in the direction of the galley. "I'll join you in a minute."

I go brush my teeth and then head for the galley. I find Maggie with her usual cup of coffee and bagel, but it seems she's also found an orange. Hellboy is across from her as she peels her orange. There's a huge bowl of chili in front of him, and sounds like he's trying to get her to eat some.

"Come on, it's good stuff," he tells her.

"I'm sure it is, but no thank you," she replies.

"There's plenty still in the pot, I could go and get you bowl," he offers.

"No, but thank you, Red," she says patiently.

"There's meat in that chili, isn't there?" I ask, stopping Hellboy before he can make another offer.

"Yeah, so?" he responds.

"So," I answer as I take the seat next to her. "Maggie is a vegetarian."

"Not a complete vegetarian," she replies, a sly smile playing across her mouth. "I still eat fish."

I pick up her thoughts and I can feel the blood rushing to my face. Hellboy starts laughing loudly while she sits there and sniggers. I'm tempted to leave, but I just decide to give as good as I get.

"Promises, promises," growl into her ear.

She giggles as she pulls away from me. I can see goose bumps forming on her arm, and a slight shiver runs through her body. I start to reach for her as Manning walks in.

"If you three are through acting like teenagers," Manning interjects, "the meeting will start in ten minutes."

He leaves as Maggie and Hellboy quickly finish their meals. The other agents start to walk in and take their seats. Hellboy is scraping the last of the chili off of the bottom of the bowl as Maggie finishes off her coffee when Manning walks in.

"All right, people," Manning starts, "this mission could have gone worse, but it could have gone a lot better. While we did catch the person responsible and all of the monsters are dead, we nearly lost a couple of agents."

He pointedly looks at Maggie and me.

"So what was that lady's deal anyways?" asks Hellboy.

"I'll let Abe answer that one," Manning replies.

"Theresa Lewis was born to an impoverished Water Mage mother in San Diego," I start. "Father died twelve years ago when she was just five leaving her mother to provide for her and her younger brother and sister. Money was tight, and the family had to scratch out a living using any means. Lewis decided that easiest way to make money for her family was to be a 'hero.' She would go in, release an ahuizotl in the water supply of a small town, leave for a couple of days and then come back in and take care of the 'problem' for a price. She did this all through Mexico and Central America and it was always small places, nothing major. A few weeks ago she decided that it was time to go big and set her sights on the Panama Canal. Her first step was to infest the canal with the ahuizotls. Since she could only create two in a day she knew it was going to take a long time. She had been there just over a week when we showed up and ruined her plans."

"So, she was in it for the money?" Hellboy asks.

"Yes," I answer.

"Do we have to worry about her family coming after her?" Hellboy inquires.

"I don't think her family knows where she is," I reply.

"Great, well we got her," Hellboy says. "At least she won't be pulling anymore stunts like that for a while."

"Actually," Manning interrupts. He doesn't look happy. I sense his thoughts and my stomach ties itself in a knot. "I got a call from the Panama authorities a short time ago. Two men are dead and Lewis is missing."


	12. Chewing Out

**Disclaimer**: I don't own My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Singing in the Rain or Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

* * *

The only sound that can be heard is the constant droning of the planes' engines. Abe's gloved hand covers mine. I hadn't realized that I had grabbed hold of his arm after Manning's' announcement. The thought of her loose again chills me to the bone. 

"What happened?" Hellboy asks.

"They took her to a hospital to tend to her wounds," Manning answers. "After she was treated for various lacerations and puncture wounds, they put her in a private room to recover. There were two guards stationed outside of her room. From what they've been able to piece together, one of the guards went on break, but when he came back, his partner was gone. He went in the room to check on the prisoner and was attacked. They found both of the bodies in her room."

"Let me guess," I say quietly. "The guards' bodies were completely desiccated."

"Yes," Manning states.

"Dissected? What?" interrupts Hellboy in confusion.

"Not dissected, desiccated," I explain. "It means totally dried out. She drained all of the water out of them. Dr. Manning, are we going back to look for her?"

"No," he answers. "The Panama government thinks they can handle it. And until they ask for our assistance, there's nothing we can do to help. Are there any more questions?"

After a brief pause, he nods.

"We'll be landing in New Jersey in about six hours," he tells us. "I want an inventory done of everything that needs to be replaced, repaired or replenished. Miss Cavendish, I wish to speak to you. Alone."

I nod as the human agents start to file out. Hellboy and Abe remain seated, and Manning glares at them.

"Would you two please leave us?" I ask.

Hellboy scowls and Abe tightens his grip on my hand.

"I appreciate your concern," I tell them, "but I will be all right. Besides, I'm sure you both have something better to do."

"No, not really," says Hellboy leaning back in his chair.

"Me either," Abe chips in, slightly tilting his head to the side.

"Please leave," I repeat.

I pull my hand away from Abe, and I refuse to look at either one of them. My empty coffee cup is suddenly very fascinating. Manning is off to the side watching this. After several minutes, Hellboy gets up and stomps out. Abe reaches for my hand again, and I pull away.

"Abe, you're skin is all dried out again," I say without looking at him. "I think you need to go get wet."

Abe stares at me for a moment more and then finally leaves. Manning takes Hellboys' seat and looks at me.

"Thank you for sending them away," he says.

"I really didn't want an audience for this," I respond without looking up.

"Miss Cavendish," he starts rather sternly. "While I am aware that you are not a regular agent with the bureau, I expect you to follow the rules and regulations while with us on a mission. I've come to expect this kind of behavior from Hellboy, not from you. You have proven yourself to be a level headed person in some very stressful situations. So it's needless to say I was very shocked at your actions today. If there is ever another situation like this, I expect you to report to me before taking any actions. Is that understood?"

"Yes," I answer quietly. The imaginary crumbs on my lap are very interesting at this moment. "You're right and I'm sorry. I let my feelings for Abe get in the way. I was frightened with him being in the water all alone with all those things and I never meant for him to come in contact with Lewis. It's my fault that he was nearly lost to her."

"Actually, no it's not," Manning replies a bit more softly. I finally look up at him. "Abe felt Lewis's power the instant he got into the water. He followed it to the source. The fact that you and Hellboy were there probably is what saved him from her. You're just lucky that the Wyrm managed to turn on your transmitter; otherwise, the rest of us wouldn't have been able to get there in time. Not that I'm approving of what you did, but it probably did work out in our favor. I still expect you to report to me before doing anything like this again. Understand?"

I nod. Manning stands up and leaves. I just sit there and stare at the little table. I notice that Hellboys' bowl is still sitting there and the left over smell of chili is starting to get to me. I stand and take the dirty dishes back to the galley.

Once there, I discover that no one has cleaned in here for a while. I find all of the necessary items and start to clean the place up. By the time I've scrubbed the place to a fine polish, I'm a bit sweaty and a little less depressed.

"You should go and get some more rest," Abe suggests quietly.

I hadn't heard him come in, but that's not too surprising. I put the sponge down and take the rubber gloves off before turning to face him.

"I'm fine, thank you," I finally respond.

"Manning…" he starts.

"Gave me the chewing out that I deserved," I interrupt. "I was wrong to leave and not tell him where I was going or why. I jeopardized the mission and the lives of myself and fellow agents. My feelings over rode my common sense and I'm not proud of that."

"But it worked out for the better," he rationalizes.

"That doesn't make what I did right," I reply more heatedly then I meant to. Leaning against the counter, I stare at the floor. "I'm sorry, Abe. I shouldn't yell at you for my stupidity."

He takes a step into the galley and pulls me into his arms. I close my eyes as my arms circle around his waist. We stand there for who knows how long, but finally, he pulls away from me. He puts his hand under my chin and makes me look up at him. Then he leans down and kisses me gently. I can feel goose bumps forming on my arms as a shiver runs up my spine.

"Want to finish watching the movie?" he asks.

"Ok," I answer. "I could use a bit of a distraction right now."

We go and watch the end of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I rewind the movie and pop it out of the machine. After putting it away, I put another movie in and then settle back down next to Abe again. He cranes his neck around and looks at me.

"Robin Hood: Men in Tights?" he asks.

"What?" I respond. "It was that or Singing in the Rain. There are a decidedly too few movies where things don't blow up on this plane. I'm going to have to remedy that."

He chuckles as he puts his arm around me. Pulling me closer we settle down and watch the movie. As we watch Maid Marion get out of the tub I have an inspiration.

"I'm getting you one of those," I say pointing at the screen.

"Women wear chastity belts, not men," he says.

"Then I'll get you a cod piece," I barely manage to say without laughing.

"It would rust," he points out.

"I'll have it made out of stainless steel," I respond.

"It'll chafe," he replies.

"Then I'll have to kiss and make better," I tease.

Instead of responding, he just starts nibbling on my ear. I let my head loll to the side so he has easier access. More shivers and goose bumps arrive, making me totally forget the movie. He moves down to my neck and closing my eyes, I forget my name.

"Don't you two ever quit?" John asks teasingly while he walks by.

"Not if we can help it," Abe answers as I sit there breathing heavily.

Abe settles me back against him and we go back to the movie. We manage to make it through the rest of the movie without too many interruptions caused by wandering lips or roaming fingers. After the movie ends, I send Abe back to his tank since his skin feels like it's drying out again. I spend the rest of the flight filling out my report.

Eventually, we're given the word that we'll be landing soon. I return to the cargo area. Hellboy is already there. I sit near him and Abe joins us a few minutes later.

A short time later, the plane lands and then taxis into a hanger where we're able to unload without any prying eyes. I get into one of the sedans and we head out into the night. After a while I notice something is wrong.

"Where are we going?" I ask the agent driving.

"Back to headquarters," he answers.

"Um, would it be possible to be dropped off at my house?" I inquire.

"Sorry, miss," he responds. "I have orders to bring you back to headquarters."

"Why?" I demand.

"I don't know," he replies. "I'm just following Dr. Manning's orders."

I sit back and wait for our return to the BPRD, quietly fuming. When we arrive, I go looking for Manning.

"Dr. Manning, might I ask why I've been brought here and not taken home?" I demand.

"Well, you said it yourself, Miss Cavendish," he answers. "Either Mr. Chavez would have to come and live with you or you would have to come and spend your nights here. Since Mr. Chavez's skills are needed at odd hours, I thought it best that you stay here. And since Abe has proven that he can prevent the nightmares all together, he also thought it would be better that you stay here."

I can't argue with him, so I hitch my bag over my shoulder and go wait for Abe to emerge from the back of the truck. He and Hellboy walk down the ramp and we head inside. We open the doors and step into the library.

"**SURPRISE!"**


	13. Party

I stand there with my mouth hanging open and my heart going about a mile a minute. As I try and remind my lungs how to work I notice the banner on the wall across the library. "Happy Birthday Abe and Maggie" it says.

I feel a very warm hand in the small of my back that pushes me into the room. I turn and see Hellboy pushing Abe and me. I'm lucky that I got his left hand. I turn back to the room and see various medical staff, agents, Liz, and Uncle, but the big surprise for me is Grandmother, Sharon and Vicki are also here.

I step away from Hellboy and go and great my family and friends. By the time all the hugs and kisses are distributed, I somehow end up with Vicki in my arms. She's gotten so big it's hard to believe that she's just over ten months old now. I sit down in an over stuffed chair in a corner and start to play with her in my lap.

"She's beautiful," Abe says as he sits on the arm of the chair.

"She's the reason Grandmother and Sharon found out about you," I tell him.

"Oh?"

"They noticed me getting maternal when I held her," I tell him. "It seems that Mages don't have the urge to have babies until after they find love. Wish I knew that before I held her for the first time. I might have been able to hide it better."

He quietly chuckles as Grandmother comes over to us.

"As the guests of honor you two need to go out and mingle with your well wishers," Grandmother demands as she takes Vicki off my lap. "You may not hide in the corner hogging the baby. Now go on you two. Shoo."

She turns and walks off. Abe stands and holds out his hand to me. I take it and we rejoin the party. I pass by Sharon and Liz; they're talking about pregnancy and babies. Hellboy is standing behind Liz and running his left hand over her growing belly. I realize that there really is a big teddy bear behind that tough guy exterior. I see Uncle has cornered Manning and John and is probably getting a run down on the missions we went on.

A short time later, the food is brought out. Platter after platter is carried in and arranged on tables set up for this purpose.

"Good heavens," Grandmother says from beside me. "There's enough food here to feed a small army."

"Or one very big red guy," I tell her as Hellboy heads for the tables.

After dinner, an incredible cake is brought out. Covered with a dark chocolate ganache, it's decorated with little green chocolate eggs. The candles are lit by Liz and everyone sings "Happy Birthday" with varying degrees of success. I can feel my face warm up and I see Abe turn a darker shade of blue as the song comes to a close. We lean over to blow out the candles.

Before we get a chance to exhale, a breeze blows over the candles, blowing them out and knocking a few of them over spilling some melted wax onto the ganache. I look in the direction that the breeze came from and see Sharon holding Vicki. Vicki is laughing and clapping her hands and Sharon has a stunned look on her face. I start laughing. I can hear Abe chuckling beside me.

"You are in so much trouble," I finally manage to gasp out.

"I didn't do it," Sharon retorts.

"I know you didn't," I snigger. Pointing at Vicki, I continue, "She did it."

"But…but…she's only a baby," she protests.

"Like I said, you're in so much trouble," I laugh.

I start helping Abe pull candles out of the cake and licking the bottom of them all the while still chuckling. Sharon just stands there staring at her daughter who's bouncing up and down in her mother's arms squealing with joy. I can see Grandmother and Uncle off to the side with smiles on their faces.

The cake is finally sliced and served. After everyone has eaten, things start to wind down. The evening finally finds Grandmother, Sharon, Uncle, Vicki, Hellboy, Liz, Abe and me in the little back corner of the library.

Hellboy is sitting on the floor next to the chair that Liz is curled up in. He's holding a sleeping Vicki and the look on his face is priceless. A flash of light and a whirring sound tells me that Liz didn't forget her camera. Hellboy just looks at her with a goofy smile on his face.

"I want a daughter," he says.

"Before you left you wanted a son," Liz reminds him.

"Yeah, well, now I want a girl," he replies.

"We get what we get, and either way, we'll be happy as long as the baby is healthy," she tells him.

"I could find out for you," Abe offers from his seat next to me on the couch, starting to pull a glove off.

"No!" Liz states a bit forcefully. Then she softens. "I want it to be a surprise, please don't ruin it."

"As you wish," Abe says as he pulls the glove back in place.

"Well, let's hope that if you're baby is a Mage, that his or her abilities don't develop as early as Vicki's did," I put in.

"What do you mean?" asks Liz.

"Mage babies usually don't start showing signs of their abilities until around their first birthday," I tell her. "I guess Vicki is an early bloomer."

"You said 'if' the baby is a Mage," Hellboy interjects. "You think it might not be because of me?"

"No, it's not that, Red," Uncle answers. "Not every baby born to a Mage parent is a Mage. It's very rare for that to happen, but it does happen on occasion."

"Why wouldn't the baby be a Mage if Liz is one?" HB inquires.

"Elemental Magic is very picky," Uncle replies. "The baby must be healthy both mentally and physically. If there's a problem with either one, then the power will not form."

"It happens in all Families," Grandmother says quietly. "Even ours has not been immune to this, though the last non-Mage born into the family was well over a hundred and fifty years ago. The Cavendish family made its fortune commanding great sailing ships. When Elihu Cavendish was born without Mage abilities, the family still raised and loved him, but he knew that he didn't belong. As a young man he went out to seek his fortune also on the seas, but as a whaler instead of the captain of a shipping fleet. He was the first of the Cavendish's to come to this country. The family lost contact with him after that. My husband decided to see of any of that line still lived some time ago. They do not."

"So, was it a mental or physical thing that stopped him from being a Mage?" Hellboy asks.

"We believe that it was a mental imbalance," Grandmother answers. "He became obsessed with something that lies to the north, though we were never able to figure out what it was."

"Then how did Lewis become a Mage?" Hellboy asks. "I mean, come on, the woman seemed a bit whacked in the head if you ask me."

"There's nothing wrong with her mentally," Abe answers quietly. "She was in full control of her mind. She was just trying to make money for her family. Granted, it wasn't a good way and her morals leave a bit to be desired, but she is very sane."

I feel a shiver of fear run up my spine as I think about her being loose again. Abe pulls me closer to him and I gratefully lean into him.

Suddenly, Sharon stands up and carefully takes Vicki from Hellboy. He looks hurt and like he wants to protest.

"I think I'd better put Vicki to bed," Sharon says. "You might want to do the same for Liz."

I look, and it seems that Liz has fallen asleep. Her head is resting on the arm of the over stuffed chair and her dark hair is partially covering her face. With a tender look on his face, Hellboy gently brushes the hair aside with his left hand and then picks Liz up in his massive arms. He and Sharon leave together carrying their precious bundles. Grandmother rises and comes over to me.

"Happy birthday, Margaret," she says as she gives me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in the morning. Happy birthday, Abe."

She turns and leaves. As she exits, John walks in.

"Maggie, Dr. Manning asked me to show you to your room," he says without preamble.

"Thank you, John," I reply. "Getting some sleep sounds like an excellent idea."

I gently kiss Abe goodnight and then give Uncle a quick peck on the cheek. I turn and follow John through the twisting corridors until we come to a room. I go in and find my bag waiting for me on the bed. I pull out a few things and then head for the bathroom.

Turning on the light, I look in the mirror and all but scream. I look quite the fright. My hair is coming out of its braid, I have no make up on and the dark circles under my eyes make me look like a raccoon. Not to mention that my clothes are dirty and wrinkled. I'm surprised Grandmother didn't have a heart attack at the sight of me.

I just shake my head and then strip. I take a long hot relaxing shower, giving my hair the much needed washing that it deserves. After I realize that I'm falling asleep while standing up, I get out and dry off. With my hair wrapped in towel and another towel wrapped around me, I go back into the bedroom.

My bag is no longer where I left it. Instead there's a bathing suit and a robe lying on the bed with a note. The note reads:

_Please put these on and meet me upstairs. – Abe_

I look around and discover that bag hasn't just been moved, it's gone. I look for my discarded clothing, but they've gone AWOL as well. I'm a bit tired to be playing games, but the sooner I get my bag back from Abe, the sooner I can get some sleep. I put on the bathing suit and robe and then head back to the bathroom to comb out my hair. As soon as that's done, I head back to the library.

I don't see Abe in his tank when I enter the room, so I head upstairs. The metal stairs chill my bare feet causing a cold shiver to run up my spine as I slowly make my way up the spiral staircase. I rub my arms to try and get rid of the goose bumps whileI head for the top of Abe's' tank.

I walk through the door into the shimmering half darkness. Nothing has changed since the last time was here, except that there's no black kitten sleeping on the chair. I look down into the tank and I don't see Abe, so I turn to leave. Abe is quietly shutting and locking the door.

He's wearing only his shorts and from the shiny look of his skin, I'd have to say he must have just gotten out of his tank shortly before I walked in. Why does he have to look so darn sexy?

"I could ask the same question about you," he says as he turns from the door.

"Where's my stuff?" I ask.

"You'll get it back in the morning," he answers as he walks toward me.

"I'd like it back now, please," I request, a bit irked.

"All in good time, my love, all in good time," he responds as he stops in front of me, a small smile on his lips.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"You're spending the night here tonight," he replies, slightly tilting his head to the side.

I take a look around.

"There's no bed in here," I point out. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"There," he says as he waves a graceful hand toward the water.

"Abe, I'll drown," I state. My stomach starts tying itself into a knot.

"No, you won't," he says as he unties my robe.

"I can't breathe underwater like Lewis," I retort. I see him flinch at the mention of her name. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," he replies. "Trust me."

Before I can respond to him, he gently cradles my face in one hand. His other hand gently pushes my robe off as his lips claim mine. I close my eyes as the kiss deepens. The tip of his tongue gently plays along my lips. I part my lips and his tongue enters, tasting me. My tongue touches his and suddenly, I'm not so tired any more.

My hands come up and start caressing his stomach, chest and arms, running my hands up and down his torso and arms. I hear a moan coming from deep within his chest and reverberating through my lips. The hand not cradling my face starts to trace the top of my bathing suit, setting the nerves on fire in its wake. He pushes one of the straps off of my shoulder and I give a moan of my own as my breathing becomes faster.

I lower my arms as I grab his hips and pull him closer to me. The hand that was holding my face is now on my other shoulder pushing the remaining strap off. I pull my arms free of the straps and allow the suit to slip further down my body. He grabs me and starts running his hands down my back and up my sides. Our bare skin touches and all of my nerves start to tingle.

"Hey, Abe here's the…" starts Uncle as he bursts through the locked door.

The only thing that could be possible be worse than being caught half dressed with Abe by Uncle, would be if my grandmother had walked in. Of course, my grandmother can't unlock doors on a whim. I quickly cover myself with my arms and turn around; I can feel my face starting to burn with embarrassment. I pull my straps back on, and as I'm reaching for my robe, Uncle seems to recover from his shock.

"Oh, come on you two," he says in exasperation. "You know that you're not going to be able to do that until the wedding night."

"Why not?" Abe asks. I start pulling my robe back on.

"Didn't she tell you?" Uncle responds. There's a moment of silence.

"A year and a day? No she didn't," I can practically hear him growl. He comes around and faces me as I start to tie the robe closed. "You were planning on tell me about this when?"

I feel my face burn even hotter. I fight back the tears caused by embarrassment, frustration and anger. I can't bring myself to look at him.

"When the mere sight of you didn't turn my legs to Jell-O, my insides to liquid and my brain to mush," I answer him a bit more hotly then I meant to. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I'm going to bed now."

I start for the door, but before I can get more than a few steps, Abe's arm wraps itself around my waist. Before I can utter a word of protest, I'm suddenly flying through the air. I scream in fear as one of my oldest terrors comes to haunt me. Then I hit the water in the tank with no air in my lungs.


	14. Conquering Fear

Maggie's scream is cut off as she lands in the water with a satisfying splash and I feel a bit vindicated. When she finally breaks the surface, she's splashing, sputtering and gasping for air. She's starting to panic.

"Perhaps I should mention…" Guillermo starts in a worried voice.

"Oh, crap," I swear as I take a running dive into the tank.

"…that she's not a very good swimmer," Guillermo finishes as my head submerges.

I swim under her and try to avoid her thrashing limbs as she fights against the robe that's weighing her down. I finally manage to come up behind her. Grabbing her firmly, I press her into my chest and pin her there with my arm. I start swimming on my back toward the edge of the tank while she tries to squirm around and face me. Her mind is blank with terror.

We make it to the edge and Guillermo and I manage to heave her up onto the tile floor. She lies there in a fetal position shivering, coughing, gasping and crying all at the same time. I pull myself out of the water as Guillermo works on getting the soaking wet terrycloth robe off of her.

Between the two of us, we finally manage to remove the cumbersome thing. I go and grab the stack of towels off of the table and we start to dry her off. After getting her as dry as possible, I wrap her in the remaining towels and take her downstairs.

Moving one of the wingback chairs, I sit with her by the brazier. I briskly rub her arm to try and stimulate the blood flow. She's still curled up into the fetal position and shivering, silent tears are running down her face.

The fire is drying out my skin and the particles from it are making my gills work harder to deal with the arid environment. I ignore my own physical discomforts and turn my attention back to her. She's cold, frightened, and upset. I have a feeling that when she's feeling better that I'm going to be getting an ear full, metaphorically speaking.

A large blanket lands a few feet from us. I look up and see Guillermo moving away from the upstairs railing and heading for the stairs. After several laborious minutes, he slowly makes it to the bottom of the spiral staircase. After picking the blanket back up, he heads towards me and hands it to me. I take it and wrap it around her, but she continues to shake.

"I put the air hose you wanted on the table in your room," he starts.

He's staring into the fire. I try and read him, but Maggie's proximity to me and the strength of her emotions are making it impossible.

"Not that it'll do you any good now," he continues.

"You agreed to this," I remind him.

"I only agreed to it because I thought you would take it slowly," he says angrily, rounding on me with his eyes dark with emotion. "I never thought you would do something so callous as to throw her into the water, especially while wearing something that could pull her under."

"I didn't realize that she wasn't a strong swimmer," I answer quietly.

"Yes, well, after her parents died out at sea, she developed a rather nasty aversion to going into deep water," he tells me.

Maggie gives one final shudder and then lies still in my arms. While she is awake and the tears have finally stopped, she's still curled into a ball and her breathing is a bit labored from the exertion. She's angry but too tired to chew me out. Yet.

"I'd say you have some serious amounts of groveling to do," Guillermo suddenly states. "So I'll leave you to it. I'm going to bed. Wake me when she finally falls asleep. Hopefully I'll be able to lessen the severity of the earthquakes. I'll probably need to wake Sharon to control the wind storms."

"I thought it was her grandmother that helped last time," I state in confusion.

"Her grandmother was stronger than Maggie when she was nine," he replies. "Sharon is the only family member that's stronger than Maggie now. Good night, Abe."

"Good night, Guillermo," I say to his slowly retreating back. "Thank you."

I turn my attention back to Maggie. Her breathing has settled down to a normal rhythm, and she's physically exhausted, but her emotions are going full tilt. I start stroking her still damp hair. Even with it only half dried, it still feels like silk. I bend my head down to hers.

"I'm sorry," I whisper into her ear. "I didn't know. I never meant to hurt you or scare you like that."

"But you did," she manages to croak back.

She pulls herself into a tighter ball and starts to cry again. I wrap my arms around her holding her even closer and start rocking her. All the while I keep repeating the words "I'm sorry" over and over into her hair. Eventually, the tears stop and she relaxes a little. Amazingly, she's still awake. I relax my hold and go back to stroking her hair.

My skin now feels like it's going to crack and my gills are starting to struggle. I know I need to get back into the water soon, but I can't leave her right now. I just sit there and try to ignore my discomforts.

I hear something over by one of the darker corners of the library. I look around the back of the chair and catch a glimpse of a couple of small shadows moving quickly toward us. Before I'm able to react, Shadow jumps up onto the arm of the chair. She looks curiously at Maggie. It looks like she's trying to make up her mind about something. But if Shadow is out, then the second shadow I saw has to be…

Sure enough, Alley takes a flying leap over the arm of the chair, tackling Shadow. They land in Maggie's lap and start wrestling. A few seconds later, Shadow manages to break away and takes off with Alley in hot pursuit.

Maggie's body is shaking and it takes me a moment to realize that she's laughing quietly. She lifts her head up and watches the cats careen around the room at top speed. Shadow suddenly stops, turns and puffs up, causing Alley to turn and run in another direction. Shadow gives chase until Alley decides to turn the tables again and starts chasing Shadow once more.

After several minutes of tearing around the room, Shadow jumps up onto Maggie's lap and starts sniffing around. Alley hops up a few seconds later and looks Maggie right in the eye. She starts meowing and butting her head against Maggie, demanding attention. Maggie works a hand free of the blanket and towels and finally complies too Alley's demands. Shadow finds a corner of the blanket that she likes and settles down. She's kneading the blanket and purring away.

"I really am sorry," I tell her.

She turns and looks at me. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying and her eyes are filled with an emotional pain. It kills me to see her look at me that way.

"Why?" she asks.

Talk about your loaded questions. I sigh and try and answer the best I can.

"I thought if I could get you to sleep underwater, then we wouldn't have to worry about the nightmares as much," I try and explain. She looks at me with confusion in her eyes now. "You can't use your powers underwater, right?" She nods. "If I can't stop the nightmares then you won't be able to cause earthquakes or windstorms while there. As for why I threw you into the tank, I was angry for you not telling me about the year and a day thing. I know you didn't do it on purpose, but still, I'm frustrated too, you know."

She turns away from me and concentrates on scratching Alley's ears. I belatedly realize that I said that last part a little bit more vehemently then I intended.

"I'm sorry," I say again.

God, I must be on the verge of setting a world's record for apologizing in one evening. I wrap one arm around her leaving her arm free to pet Alley and start stroking her hair with the other hand. I feel and hear her sigh.

"I'm sorry, too," she says quietly. "I meant to tell you, but it seems every time I remembered was just after you'd gone on another assignment. By the time you came back, all I could think about is seeing you again, feeling your touch again. Like I said before, my brain turns to mush when you're around."

"If it's any consolation," I whisper into her ear. "I don't tend to think straight when you're around either."

I can feel her silent chuckle as she leans into me. She's forgiven me, and right now, I'm the happiest male alive. She stops petting Alley, and places her hand on the arm that's wrapped around her. I feel her body tense. She suddenly sits up and looks at me. There's worry in those hazel eyes now.

"How long have you been out of the water?" she demands.

"I don't know, maybe an hour," I answer.

Suddenly, she's kicking and squirming her way out of from under the towels and blanket. Yowling in protest, Alley and Shadow beat a hasty retreat half way across the room where they sit and watch. They have rather indignant looks on their faces.

Maggie finally gets herself free of all of the material and stands in front of me. She sways slightly and I grab her hips to make sure she doesn't fall. She steadies after a few moments. Then she grabs my wrist and drags me out of the chair.

She starts to pull me toward the stairs and I let her. I must admit, she looks good in a swim suit and I'm enjoying the view. My eyes travel upwards and I see the faint scars left by the demon that attacked her. I wish for the millionth time that I could have been faster and stopped its attack.

Within a few moments, we're back at the top of my tank. She walks right up to the edge with me in tow. In a flash, she does a spin that puts me in front of her and she pushes me in, catching me totally off guard. The water feels wonderful on my parched skin and gills. I just want to soak forever, but I sense her leaving. I quickly leave the water and she turns on me.

"What do you think you're doing!?" she demands. She points back toward the tank. "Get back in that water."

"Only if you come with me," I reply grabbing her hands.

"Abe, I can't," she says hesitantly as she takes a step back. She looks down and explains. "I'm afraid."

"The best way to conquer your fears is to face them head on," I whisper in her ear as I pull her back toward me. "I'll always be there to keep you from drowning."

"How?" she eventually asks.

"I'll show you," I answer.

I pull her over to the table and pick up the long black hose that lies coiled on the table. It looks like fifty feet of long skinny snake. Then I reach up onto the shelf next to my respirator and pull down a mask similar to the ones used by hospitals to give their patients oxygen. However, this mask is a little bit more complex. I hold them up for her to see.

"You wear this mask," I start to explain. "It will be attached to the air hose. The hose will be attached to the machine that aerates the water of my tank."

I put down the hose and point out the valve on the front of the mask where the hose connects.

"This valve only opens when you inhale and it automatically closes when you exhale."

Then I point to the two valves on the side of the mask.

"These valves open when you exhale and close when you inhale. The rubber along the edge will keep the water out of the mask," I finish. "It's like a scuba divers respirator, but on a slightly bigger and less complicated scale. You'll be able to talk underwater with this."

"But what if the hose comes off?" she asks nervously.

"It won't," I answer.

I grab a small metal band and a pair of pliers off of the shelf. I put the band on one end of the hose, I attach that end to the mask and then I crimp the band down on the hose to secure it to the mask. I take another metal band and a screw down valve off of the shelf and attach them to the other end of the hose.

Picking up the hose and mask, I grab Maggie's hand and head back to the tank. I can feel her shaking as we stand on the edge. I know it's not from being cold. Then I get an idea.

"Sit down," I order.

I sit down and hang my feet into the water. She stands over me looking dubiously at me. I smile and give her hand a little tug. She finally relents and sits next to me with her feet in the water. She's shaking even harder now as she gazes into the waters depths. I turn her head so that she's facing me and I give her a gentle kiss. The shaking subsides slightly.

"Here, hold this," I say as I put the end of the hose with the mask in her hand. "I need to go and attach the other end to the air pump. Wait here, I'll be right back."

I wait for her nod and then I slip into the water. Flipping over, I quickly swim to the bottom of the tank and find the spigot. I attach the hose and then turn the valve on the spigot to the open position. I break the surface of the water and look at Maggie. She's still sitting there with the hose in her hand. She's shaking and has a worried look on her face, but at least she didn't take off.

"Push the button on the front of the mask," I tell her as I tread water about a foot away from her.

She turns the mask over in her hands until she finds the button near the hose. She pushes it and a stream of air comes through the hose. Startled, she lets go of the button and the stream of air stops.

"Oh," she says as she starts to reach for the button again.

"It's all right," I tell her. "I just wanted to make sure air was making it to the mask. Put the mask over your face and then adjust the straps so it fits snugly on your face."

She complies, and a short time later she's looking at me with the mask firmly in place. I hold out my hands to her. She puts her shaking hands in mine and I start to slowly swim backwards, gently pulling her into the water. With a rather ungraceful splash, she lands in the water. I wrap her arms around my chest, and she grabs hold with a death grip.

"I would really like it," I say with a strained voice, "if all of my ribs were in one piece tomorrow morning."

"This was your idea," she replies in a barely contained panic. Her voice is slightly muffled by the mask. "Deal with it."

I chuckle.

"Breath normally," I instruct as we slowly start to sink.

I didn't think it was possible, but she tightens her hold on my chest. I won't be surprised if she does manage to crack a couple of ribs. At the very least I'm going to have bruise that runs all the way around my rib cage. I'm just thankful that I breathe with gills and not lungs.

About a third of the way down, Maggie lets go and starts kicking toward the surface. I try to hold her close and her foot connects with my shin. As I try to ignore the pain shooting up my leg, I touch her mind to find out what's wrong.

"Try and pop your ears," I tell her. "It will balance the pressure in your Eustachian Tubes."

I feel her move her jaw around against my chest, and after a moment, she stops struggling. I pull her close again and she resumes her rib crushing embrace. After a couple of minutes, I finally maneuver us to the center of the tank where we just hover.

"Ok, now just relax," I instruct.

"You're joking, right?" is her sarcastic reply.

Her voice is now not only slightly muffled but a bit distorted by the water and mask. I chuckle and try to remove her arms from around my ribs, but she refuses to let go. I give up trying since it's causing her to get more upset. Instead, I start rubbing and massaging her arms and back, in hopes of getting her to relax.

Now that we're no longer moving, I notice her hair starting to move around us in the current. It's starting to get tangled in my gills. I hadn't foreseen this problem. I try and push it away, but there's so much of it and it's so long that no sooner do I push one handful away then more of it ends up around neck. Now I understand why she keeps it in a braid all the time. Then I get an idea.

I catch her hair in one hand and start corralling any stray strands with the other. After I've finally got her hair in one hand, I untie the ribbon on my wrist that she tied there so long ago. I finally use it to tie back her hair. It's not perfect, but it'll do for now.

I put my hands back on her shoulders to resume massaging but I find that it's not necessary. Exhaustion has finally claimed her and she's asleep. I was so busy dealing with her hair that I hadn't even noticed when she had loosened her grip on my ribs.

I smile, kiss her on the head and then start to drift off to sleep myself. Before I can slip into blissful unconsciousness, the first nightmare hits.

This time she's underwater. There's a thick sheet of ice on the surface of the water. She's banging on it with her fists, trying to break it. Taylor is there and grabbing her again. I'm there with the spear gun as well.

Before I can change anything or even stop the nightmare, my dream self raises the spear gun and shoots Taylor. Then I watch as the dream version of me breaks through the ice and pulls Maggie out of the water. The dream fades as she slips into a deeper stage of sleep.

Maybe I didn't need to put her through all this after all. I wonder if she'll need me to guard her dreams any more. In the back of my mind I'm sort of disappointed, I had hoped that I would be able to sleep with her in my arms for many months to come.

I push away my thoughts and start to relax. There's no point in worrying about it now. All that will accomplish is to keep me awake, and right now I need sleep. I slide into a blissful dark oblivion where I dream of fish.

The End

**Author's Note**: If you some how missed it, the story of Alley and Shadow can be found in "A Tail of Two Kitties" that was co-written by yours truly and AlleyD8.


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